Beginnings of a Master
by Articunomew
Summary: Story has been closed indefinitely, a rewrite has been made
1. Prologue

Beginnings of a Master  
Prologue

_We were strangers, on a crazy adventure.  
__Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true  
__Now here we stand, unafraid of the future,  
__At the Beginning with you._

_Life is a road that I want to keep going,  
__Love is a river I wanna keep flowing  
__Life is a road, now and forever  
__A wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning,  
__I'll be there when the storm is through,  
__In the end I want to be standing,  
__At the Beginning with you_

_Knew there was somebody somewhere,  
__A little help in the dark.  
__Now I know my dream will live on, I've been waiting so long,  
__Nothin's gonna tear us apart!_

_ Richard Marx and Donna Lewis,  
__ At the Beginning with You_

The sun flashed over the hills, bathing the buildings of Latios Town with golden rays. Southern Island was famous for its sunrises, but this one was truly brilliant.  
And sneaking quietly out of his front door, making a bee-line for the letterbox was a young, fourteen-year old named Sam. Sam was the average height for a boy of his age, a bit light perhaps, but still average. As he looked back to see if anyone was following him, some strands of reddish-brown hair fell into his blue eyes. His blew his fringe out of the way impatiently. When it fell back into his eyes again, he flicked his head as he pulled the local newspaper from the letterbox. Just as quietly, he snuck back to the house, and instead of entering the front door, he went to the right, around the side of the house and through a window.  
When he was inside the room, he sighed with relief, clutching the newspaper as if it were the only thing that would ever save his life.

"That would be mine. But thank you for bringing it to me." A small, childish voice rang out through the room, sounding like it had been magnified ten times due to the silence.  
Sam swung around, his eyes widening in shock as his eyebrows suddenly had the danger of disappearing into his hairline.

With natural instincts, he held the newspaper up out of the reach of his little brother, six years his junior. His brother, Josh, ran past, intending to snatch the newspaper while Sam had been surprised. When he discovered he had missed it, he wheeled around and started running again. A pillow suddenly flew off of Sam's bed and attached itself to Josh's face. Suddenly deprived of his sight, Josh ran past, missing Sam by a considerable distance. When the pillow fell off of Josh's face, a startled look appeared on his face as he ran into the wall.  
Sam winced, then looked away, sending the newspaper to the top of his wardrobe.

Sam had VERY minor psychic powers. He could only lift light things; at most he could lift one small T.V, and even then, only for a minute or so. And doing just that made him tired.  
He had inherited his powers from his father, who had them from his father, who had it from his mother. His father, the Gym Leader of Latios Town excelled in the six main types of Pokemon, that is, grass, fire, water, lightning, fighting and psychic, had been disappointed that Sam didn't have stronger powers.

**_What's going on in there?_** A sudden voice broke into both Sam's and Josh's minds. His Dad's voices, even his mental voice, sounded groggy this early in the morning. Sam's and Josh's parent's bedroom had been past the wall that Josh had hit. And his parent's didn't like being woken up.

**_Josh is trying to steal some of my stuff!_** Sam called back mentally. While he couldn't open a mind-link to other psychics, he could talk back if they were the ones that opened it.

A flare of awareness suddenly woke in Sam's mental vision. His little sister, Manessah, more commonly known as Nassy, had woken up. Out of the five children, Nassy was the strongest psychic. When she was a baby, she had been capable of opening mind-links. The crying had driven Sam and Ani, Sam's big sister, to the brink of killing something, because when they had checked Nassy, she was fine. It took a year for Sam's Dad to realize that Nassy was crying mentally. But that was three years ago, since then, Ani had gone on a Pokemon Journey by winning a competition in the local paper. A competition that was run worldwide annually. The same competition that had woken Sam at the brink of dawn to get the newspaper, the newspaper that Josh had ripped up every year since Ani had gone. By doing that, he had stopped Sam from entering.

**_Josh, leave your brother alone or I'll teleport you to the deepest cave that I can remember._** Brett threatened, sounding pathetic as he struggled to be more than half awake.  
Josh crossed his arms and sat on the floor, sticking out his lower lip in his traditional pose of sulking. Suddenly a hidden force lifted him into the air and scooted him towards the door. When Brett discover that the door was shut due to the banging noise, he made Josh freeze in the air.

Sam pulled a face and twisted his hand. The doorknob turned, opening the door. When Sam made a swiping motion, the door flew open and Josh was taken from the room by the power of Brett's mind. Another swiping motion shut the door and locked the lock.  
Now that he was safe, Sam sighed and clicked his fingers. When he had the newspaper in his hand, he collapsed on the bed, suddenly tired and dizzy.  
With a quick throw of his hand, Sam threw the newspaper back on top of the wardrobe, and then fell asleep.

Two hours later, 23rd of the Month of Moltres, A.P.W>

When Sam opened his eyes, he discovered Josh climbing on furniture, aiming for the wardrobe. The clutter around Sam's room lay testament that he had been doing so for quite some time. Currently Josh was balanced on a pillow which was perched on Sam's desk.  
Luckily Josh hadn't noticed that Sam was awake yet. With a quick jerk of his head, Sam sent the pillow out from under Josh. Josh, obeying the laws of gravity did a forward flip and fell, straight into Sam's wastebasket.  
Somehow, by doing that, he had managed to pin his arms under him, thus crushing any hopes of escaping.

Sam took one look at him, astonished, and then slowly, as if it were a Magcargo coming out of its shell a grin appeared on Sam's face. Within a few seconds, he had burst out laughing.  
Josh gave Sam a glare. If looks could kill, Sam would be deader than the zombie Pokemon Dredo.

"Get me out of here!" Josh whined, beating his legs against the side of the wastebasket.

"No. You got yourself stuck in there, you can get yourself out." Sam said, raising an eyebrow at the ridiculous picture that Josh made.

Sam left Josh there, gathering up writing utensils and a large book. When he had gotten everything, he snatched up a Poke-Nav from beside his bed and summoned the newspaper to his hand. With that, he jumped out the window and headed for his Secret Base, made for him the last time his sister had passed through Southern Island.

Sam's Secret Base>

Sam looked around the base, finally relaxing. This was the one place he could come to without having the fear of his little brother coming after him. People could only enter another person's Secret Base if they were personally shown where it was or told where it was by the owner. If they weren't, then the Base was sealed, hidden from view.

Whenever there was a sale for Secret Base items in a town she visited, Ani usually bought one and sent it to Sam, who either left it in the computer or set it up.  
So far he had a mahogany desk set up, a large Lapras Doll he could lay on, a couple of sofas, and a few dolls. Not many though.

Sam instantly walked over to the desk and sighed as he sank into the comfy seat. Then he unrolled the newspaper and opened it to the entry form for the contest.  
Every year, a randomly chosen region was picked to host the competition. Then two professors, along with the chosen region's professor had to bring three Pokemon from their regions and one more was supplied by the International League. This year the Dictioy region had been chosen. It's professor, Professor Willow, Professor Elder, the Professor for the Antarctic region of Forenzis and Southern Islands own Professor, Professor Rowan had been given the task of instructing new trainers.  
Professor Rowan was renowned for his knowledge in Pokemon Legends. As Sam looked at the topic for the paper, he discovered it was just that; Pokemon Legends. And Sam's favourite Pokemon was a legendary!

**_Are you going to be home for dinner? _**Brett's voice suddenly came into Sam's head, making his hand jerk and putting a long line over the page. Sam screwed up his eyes, and then got the rubber.

_**Well? Are you or not?**_

**_No! _**Sam thought back furiously. He was being interrupted and he was getting annoyed. The lead in Sam's pencil suddenly snapped. Sam grimaced at the pencil. It had happened often at school. Some of the teachers he had hated STILL couldn't work out why their pens had exploded when they yelled at him.

**_Fine. Your mother will send up Hotspot and Cestrer with food then. And she wants Cestrer back UNDENTED._** Cestrer was Sam's Mum's Castform. Cestrer liked every other member of the family, except for Sam. On rainy days, Cestrer went with the kids to school because he could make a dry patch around him. But when Sam held him, he sucked in the field, leaving Sam soaking wet and Cestrer snickering.

**_Aaaw. But_** **_what if he attacks me? _**Sam asked. It was a perfectly legitimate question. Cestrer had cast several Powder Snows, Embers and Thundershock at Sam before.  
Hotspot was better. A Combusken; she was mainly a heater in the winter. The weather outside made her sleepy, and when she slept she gave out a large amount of heat.

**_Well, don't retaliate._** With that, Brett cut off the connection. Sam scowled at the Pikachu Doll on his desk. And then he shrugged. He went back working on the paper, until he heard the rustling of leaves that announced the arrival of the two Pokemon.A sniff of his nose made his stomach rumble. His Mum had gotten Hotspot to carry the food in a microwavable container. Cestrer had only come in case Sam stayed the night and it rained the next day. Apart from that, he was there to torment Sam.

An hour later, once he had eaten, given the two Pokemon food and gotten his seat comfortable again, Sam sat down to finish the essay he was writing. _Finally!_ Sam thought. He had _finally_ finished his essay. A quick glance of the clock made him yelp. The application had to be posted by 9:00 pm!


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
I was lying in mud, dying. I groaned as blood pooled around me. Well, that wasn't what really happened. It was a pretty good way to describe the wait during the time between me posting the letter and the answer getting back to me.  
  
I waited two weeks after I posted the letter. After that, I couldn't stand it anymore. You would always find me standing at the letterbox at 6:00 in the morning waiting for the postman. I actually considered pitching up a tent next to the letterbox. My mother talked me out of though.  
  
Once I had collected the mail, I always spent the rest of the day studying. Thank Mew it was the holidays. I usually went to bed at 9:30, but now I went at 11:30, only when Mum cut the power off because I refused to get of the Poke'Net.  
  
And finally, on the Sixth of the month Ho oh, I got it. Technically Josh got it. I was (unfortunately) shopping with my Grandmother. When I came home, I found Josh bawling his eyes out and waving a blue letter around. I stared at him, and then my attention was drawn to the letter. My eyes widened, and then I lunged.  
  
Josh wasn't upset enough to let me have the letter without a fight. After I had wrestled the letter from his grasp (Using a hold that my Dad's Machamp had taught me), I ran to my room and flipped the lock again. Ignoring the pounding of Josh, I sat down on my big Wailmer doll and finally read my prize.  
  
_Dear Mr Sapphire,  
  
Professors Rowan, Elder and I, Willow, read your essay and were deeply impressed. We were impressed by the descriptions and the facts. Why, I didn't even know some of the facts that you knew about Articuno! This is why we have decided to give you third place of the lucky Ten! Congratulations! Enclosed with this letter is a plane ticket to Comed Town in the Dictioy Region and your Trainer Card. Your Trainer Card will only activate when the International League has recognised you as an Official Trainer. Again congratulations and we hope you will be able to attend the ceremony.  
  
Professor .H. Willow_   
  
I stared at the piece of paper in my hand. Excitement was building up. A second later, it exploded. "YES! YES! YES!" I yelled.  
  
I quickly unbolted the door and dashed towards the kitchen where my mother and Grandmother were probably having tea. In the process of dashing, my mother's favourite lamp was suddenly in danger. As I turned the corner around the kitchen I yelled, "LOOK! LOOK!" I was too excited to explain.  
  
"Sam, what's wrong? Josh came to me crying. He was too upset to tell me what. And now you're yelling. What happened?" My mother asked, her scowl appearing slowly on her face. Josh was huddled up, sulking in the chair next to her.  
  
I quickly passed her the letter, and then proceeded to dance a victory dance around the room. When I had collapsed onto a chair and passed a glance at my mother, I noticed that she was pale. She then went several different colours. Some of which were probably undiscovered. When her face had finally settled on a deep crimson, my heart sank. She was either gonna start crying or forbid me to go.  
  
_Please start crying. Let me go! Let me go! PLEASE!_ I thought. I know it was heartless, but I really wanted to go. I let out a small." Well?" And braced myself.  
  
To my amazement, my mother drew a deep breathe and passed the letter to my grandmother. She stared at me for a moment. I spared a glance at Josh and he had a huge grin on his face. I made a face at him, and then turned back to my mother. Even more to my surprise, her eyes were glistening. She let out a croak. "Do you want to go?"  
  
I nodded violently. Josh was losing his smirk. My mother sighed again, and then said. "I guess I can't stop you then. You won this fair and square, just like your sister." She looked up and gave me a wry grin. "I guess my children are TOO creative. Why don't you go pack? That way I can sort through it before you leave and remember the stuff you forgot."  
  
I nodded again, and then caught sight of Josh. His lip was s-l-o-w-l-y coming out, and then. "MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!" He yelled. I dashed out of the kitchen. I had sensitive hearing. I don't particularly want my hearing gone.  
  
"Ready to go?" My mum asked. It had been to weeks since I had received the letter. During those three weeks, several things had happened. Seven people I didn't even know came up to me and asked me to swap with them so they could go. My friends had asked to swap so that they could go. Josh asked to swap so he could go. My MOTHER asked to swap so she could go! (She had gotten sick of me and Josh bickering) And my Mum threw a huge party for me. The party was great. My whole family came, and I received very useful presents.  
  
From my Aunts (Father's side): Upgrade Card for my Poke-Nav so it could show pokemon from all over the world.  
  
From my Aunt (Mother's side): Upgrade Card for my Poke-Nav so that it had Pokenet access. (Trust me, those things aren't cheap)  
  
From my Mum and Dad: A series of Books which showed pokemon from the twelve regions of the world: Metone, Johto, Kanto, Oore, Forenzis, Janera, Hoenn, Werntio, Poligem, Quatra, Dictoy and Zelbimare.  
  
From my Grandma (Father's side): Several fantasy books for me to read.  
  
From my Grandparents (Mother's side): More books.  
  
But the best came from my sister, Ani: An Ultraball, a pokemon journal and a POKEMON EGG!  
  
"This is a pokemon egg," She said, as she held it out to me. "In it is a Polienix, a rare pokemon from Janera." "Wow." I replied, as I gently took the egg. "How did you get it?"  
  
"Simple. I bred it from my own Anticairon. And trust me, she loves you and everything, but she was extremely reluctant to give you one of her eggs. She seemed to think that you weren't responsible enough. Imagine that." Ani finished with a wide grin.  
  
I gave her a playful glare, and then shook my head. "Thank you. And I can't imagine why she would think I wasn't responsible. But then, she never knew YOU when we were kids." I gave her another grin, and then stepped to the ducked to avoid her swipe at my head.  
  
"Quiet you. She might hear you." Ani hissed, but her eyes were dancing with amusement. "Anyone, who do you think you are to criticize me? Mum?" She asked with fake indignation.  
  
"No, I don't. I think I'm your little brother that's bigger than you, MUM!" I laughed as I took off. I ran straight to my bedroom, and then placed the egg careful next to my heater. "I'll call you Hera or Zeus, depending on what gender you are. Either way, we've got work to do." I whispered to it.  
  
I thought about the egg after I had gotten onto the plane. It had to go through security first. They checked what species, what stage of hatching it was at, etc. The only useful thing they told me was that it would hatch in the next few days.  
  
I sighed and sat down to read one of the pokemon books I was given. I started with the encyclopaedia of the pokemon in Kanto. I read it, pumping it of facts. I learnt that, of the 1056 pokemon that inhabited the earth, 151 of them were first discovered in Kanto. Kanto was also the place where the current International Champion, Ash Ketchum, had first started his Pokemon Journey. I read some of his major accomplishments, and then started on the Pokemon.  
  
_#0001: Bulbasaur_

_ Type: Seed_

_ Element: Grass _

_Attacks: Grass, Normal and Poison _

_Born with: Tackle, Growl Lv 7: Leach Seed Lv 14: Vine Whip-_  
  
The next thing I knew, was a voice calling over the loudspeaker (Trust me; they aren't called LOUD speakers for nothing.)  
  
"We have landed in Comed Town. Thank you for flying Dragon-Air!" Said the altogether, too cheerful Pilot.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." I moaned. I grabbed by bag from the overhead rack, and then grabbed the egg at my side. As I (Somehow) stumbled off the plane, I looked around for familiar signs of life. I spotted a man waving a sign that said 'Sapphire' and stumbled over to him.  
  
"Sam Sapphire, so glad you could join me." Said the man. I looked at him, and then grinned.  
  
"Right. Thank you for agreeing to pick me up, Mr Anderson." I said in a sarcastic tone. This was getting a bit too much like a movie for my taste.  
  
The man stopped dead. "My name is Joe and I would advise you to keep any sarcastic remarks to yourself while I am ferrying you around." He said. Then he leaned closer to me. "Do I make myself clear, Mr Sapphire?"  
  
"Yes. Transparently. In fact, even more clearly than that." I said quickly. Here was guy that I didn't want to mess with. At least, not while I was half asleep. I can't remember the trip to the hotel I was staying at, but I do remember the room.  
  
"Wow." I said as I stepped through the door. It was a suite. Actually it was a small dingy room, brown walls, brown bed and a brown light. I wrinkled my nose at the bath as I looked into the bathroom. "Brown bath too." I muttered. I got out of there quickly. "And to think, Mum said no place could get worse than my room. On second thoughts, she was right." I grimaced. I HATED being wrong!  
  
I knew I wasn't going to get to sleep with Mew knows what on my bed. So I grabbed the 'Pokemon Encyclopaedia of Kanto' again and started reading again. The only time I stopped was when I went down to grab five cans of coke from the Drink Machine in the lobby. When I returned, I went back to my book.  
  
One book, five cans of coke and a painful backside later, the sun finally came over the horizon. I sighed with relief, put down my book ('The Pokemon Encyclopaedia of Johto") and started to gather my stuff.  
  
I set off towards the Birch Pokemon Lab, complaining about disgusting beds in disgusting motels with disgusting bathtubs. By the time I had finished complaining, I had walked half-way towards the Lab. I have an extremely short boredom tolerance, so I took out the 'Johto' book again. I was just up to Blissey, when a shadow fell across my page. I looked up. I was at the lab, but a young girl stood in my way.  
  
"Hey, looky here. I've got a book-worm, probably one of Willow's assistants." She sneered to herself.  
  
I delivered one of my best death glares. It didn't faze the girl at all. "As a matter of fact, I'm one of the ten children who won a pokemon." I retorted coldly. "Don't mess with me. I haven't had any sleep and I've got powers you probably don't." When I was sleep and irritated, I generally throw my psychic powers around. So namely, that's every morning.  
  
The girl smirked again. "Ooooh. I'm so scared. Whatcha going to do? Throw your book at me? I'm so scared." I heard a gaggle of scared laughter from behind the girl. I looked over her and saw three other kids huddled by a corner of the building.  
  
I stared at her, and then felt the rush that showed I was using my psychic powers. The first sign I was using my psychic powers was happening. My eyes started glowing. The girl took a step back, and then laughed, not as hearty as it was before.  
  
"Ooh. That's a neat trick. Let me guess, your mother was a Mightyena that used Intimidate once too often." She said and started laughing again.  
  
Now she had me peeved. With a quick dart of my hand and a psychic push, I sent her across the street. I smiled sweetly at her. "Are you gonna leave me alone now?" I yelled at her.  
  
She gave me a scared, venomous look. Without another word, she scuttled across the road, past me and into the building. I shook my head and glanced at the others hiding in the corner.  
  
I smiled. The looked ridiculous, huddled out of sight. "Don't worry," I said. "I won't bite." Then, I said under, my breathe, "Much."  
  
"I heard that." A voice came from behind me. I turned and looked up, and up, and up. A _REALLY_ tall guy was there. He smiled. "Hi, I'm Nick. I was about to come out and tell her," With his thumb, he indicated the girl who had been bullying people. "To quit it.  
  
"Sure you did." I said. I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I'm Sam, Sam Sapphire. " I tried to get past, but he stepped in front of me. I looked up at him through my coppery fringe. I tried to beat him in a staring contest, but his blue eyes just wouldn't shut.  
  
He suddenly laughed a sound that was like a foghorn. "What do you know? We've both got names related to rock then. My last name is Boulder. I'm the son of Bruno." When he saw my blank face, he tried again. "You know Bruno? The Elite Fight Master? The Bruno of the Elite Four?"  
  
"No. I don't pay much attention to fighting pokemon. Or Fighting Pokemon Masters." I said. I tried stepping past him again, but he blocked me again. I sighed. With a grunt of effort, I teleported to the other side of him and walked into the building. I looked back over my shoulder to see him staring at me, stunned.  
  
I smiled, then staggered to the nearest seat. A sleepless night, then teleporting really takes the strength out of you. I sat for a while, catching my breath. For the third time that day, a shadow fell across me. I looked up, squinting. When they moved out of the light, I could finally see who it was.  
  
"Sam. Glad to see you made it. How are you?" Asked Professor Rowan. He was grinning.  
  
"I'm tired. I didn't sleep last night and I just had to teleport to get past a road-block. With a nod of my head, I indicated Nick. "You know how much teleporting tires me." Professor Rowan was the man who had helped me discover the extent of my powers, which weren't much.  
  
"I see. The ceremony is about to begin. Why don't you sneak in with me? You can have two chances to see the pokemon then." He asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He and I had had several, heated debates about what pokemon were best in the Legendary Circles. Not to mention, I had helped him set up pokemon cages for any wounded pokemon brought in. I was basically a walking pokedex.  
  
I grinned. "That would be cool." I admitted. I had thought about each of the ten pokemon available constantly. I had narrowed my choices down to Mudkip, Torchic or a Frezint. I got up and followed Professor Rowan into the room. It was dark, and then he flicked the lights on. I gasped. The room was huge! But what caught my attention was the four, glass enclosures at the side of the room.  
  
I rushed over to the one nearest, and found a Qizret, a Senvar and a Treecko looking at me through bleary eyes. They had obviously been sleeping. The Treecko glared at me with wrath, I backed away slowly. It probably thought I was responsible for waking it up.  
  
I went to the next inclosure. In it was a Mudkip, a Frezint and a Yoryu staring at me. I smiled at Yoryu's bright red fur, and then turned to inspect Mudkip and Frezint. Frezint stood up on the tips of its feet to get a closer look at me. When it realised it couldn't get high enough to see me clearly, it flapped its pathetic blue wings to hover a metre and a half from the ground. I stepped back, and then stood stock-still. Frezint flew over the glass to float in front of me. It started to inspect me slowly, flying in circles around me. When it was finally satisfied, it flew back into its enclosure and curled up.  
  
I looked at Mudkip. It looked back. We stood, staring at each other. I wanted to look away, but I didn't. My eyes started to tear up, but I still didn't blink. Mudkip still stood and stared. After a few minutes, it opened its mouth. "Mud? Kip?" And with out another word, it sprayed me in the face with water. I got the water out of my eyes, and then I heard laughing from behind me.  
  
I looked around and found the other nine kids laughing at me. I sneered, and then went to the third enclosure. I heard a startle, "Oh!" from behind me and looked back again. The Frezint had flown out of its enclosure again and was now inspecting the others. I chuckled, and then turned to the enclosure's occupants. A Liktretch, a Hekark and a Pichu, were curled up. I wondered at the Pichu, and then I remembered, the current symbol of the International Pokemon League was the Pikachu family, mainly because of its current Champion, Ash Ketchum.  
  
I snuck past these pokemon. If they were woken, I probably wouldn't like the consequences. In the final enclosure was a Torchic. I look at it quizzically for a moment. Then, with a sudden hiccup, it belched a large fireball.  
  
"Oh. That's always a good reason. The Professor's didn't want Yoryu, well- done." I murmured. I thought for a moment, and then walked back to the group. The Frezint had finished inspecting and had lodged itself firmly onto the head of a girl half my size. I imagined Frezint taking off into the air with the girl attached to it. I grinned, and then turned as I felt a tap on my shoulder.  
  
"Are we ready to begin?" Asked Professor Elder. He was a thin man, but looked very red. He mustn't have been used to the temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius. It must have been quite hot for him. He had a bald patch. When he turned away, I made spitting noises, then rubbing motions. A cacophony of laughter erupted. Nick's laughter could be heard above all of them.  
  
We found our way to the ten seats nearby. There was a short squabble between the others as to who would sit in the two seats nearest to the pokemon. Nick and the short girl won. I shook my head and studied the professors.  
  
Willow was a blond, huge woman. She wore glasses, perched on a sharp beak- like nose. She was famous for Pokemon Stats, as she discovers what pokemon had the highest attack, the lowest defence, etc. She was also a famous Gymnast. She, like her name, was as flexible and as tough to break as willow branches. At least, that was how the Judges who saw her described her.  
  
Rowan was young, for a Professor. Of the thirteen renowned Professors of the world, he was the youngest. With chestnut hair, brown eyes and a friendly nature, he was also the most popular. He was famous for his studies into the Pokemon Legendaries. He studied pokemon like Articuno and writes most of all known info about them.  
  
Elder was old, the oldest of the thirteen Professors, he was also the most famous. With his recognition in the field of Pokemon Breeding. He discovers what moves Pokemon are able to learn through breeding and so forth. He was thin and wiry, with a very fair complexion. What hair he did have was blue. A nice, sky blue.  
  
Suddenly Professor Rowan stepped forward. "Thank You for being here in Comed Town. We are very happy that you were able to come here. You are the Ten Trainers that won the Pokemon Contest, hosted by the International League. We will allow half an hour for you to examine the pokemon here, but no longer. A siren will sound when it is time to return to your seats. Please get into a line and we will let you see each pokemon. A small siren will blast every three minutes, so that you may spend equal time looking at each pokemon."  
  
With that he turned away. I got up slowly, wanting to be last. Everyone else was squabbling as to who would be first in the line. The only one not fighting was the small girl. She looked smug, because instead of her choosing the pokemon, it chose her. It was most likely the one she wanted too. I turned back to the fighting. I rolled my eyes, and marched forward to the first enclosure. The fighting stopped as everyone stared at me. Without another word, they got into a line. Three computers were on the glass enclosure. I posted myself at the nearest one and looked at the computer screen.  
  
_Qizret, the Quiz Pokemon. This pokemon is rare, in its ability to talk. Instead it talks in riddles. If you manage to decipher the riddle, Qizret will spout out another one. It is able to keep up its large head with the use of its Psychic powers.  
  
Type: Psychic  
  
Weight: 21 lbs.  
  
Height: 1'3.  
  
Personality: It will stick with a trainer that is able to answer its riddles. If its riddles are not answered, this pokemon becomes frustrated, sometimes leaving its trainer.  
  
Attacks: Calm Mind, Growl and Teleport.  
  
Next attack: Psywave at level 8._   
  
I looked at its computer image closely. Qizret had several question marks all over its short, squat body. It was a dull grey colour. It had a large, squarish head and a thin, straw-like body that looked much too frail to hold up its head.  
  
A siren sounded. I moved onto the next computer. On the screen was the Senvar. I grinned; there was a pokemon my mother would like.  
  
_Senvar, the Teddy pokemon. This pokemon is omnivorous. It is also a scavenger. But, if disturb while eating, it will move away. It is an affectionate pokemon, though if threatened, it will run.  
  
Type: Dark/ Normal  
  
Weight: 15.7 lbs.  
  
Height: 0'7  
  
Personality: Affectionate and lovable, this pokemon is a favourite of high- born women. If it is faced with danger, this pokemon will not hesitate in running.  
  
Attacks: Scratch, Leer and Tackle.  
  
Next Attack: Bite at level 7._   
  
Senvar was a very teddy like pokemon. I could have taken it into my sister's bedroom and placed it among her stuffed toys and no-one would know the difference! It was a dark, chocolatey brown, but it had a sun emblem on its head. But still, no-one would probably choose it because of its cowardly nature.  
  
The siren went again, I moved onto Treecko's screen. The Treecko in the enclosure sat in front of me, pulling faces and glaring. I pulled a face at it, gave it a death glare and started to read about it.  
  
_Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokemon. This pokemon has a tough nature, if confronted by an enemy; it will stand its ground and glare at it. If it succeeds in intimidating the enemy, it will either attack or try to intimidate the enemy again.  
  
Type: Grass  
  
Weight: 11 lbs.  
  
Height: 1'8  
  
Personality: It has an intimidating nature. It will continue to fight even when there is no hope. It is also extremely fast and has a high attack power, resulting in almost one hit K.O's!  
  
Attacks: Pound and Leer.  
  
Next Attack: Absorb at level 6._   
  
Treecko was still glaring at me. Its red eyes, penetrating my own. Its green fingers twitched irritably. I noticed they had suction cups on the end of them. Treecko was almost fully green, with a dark green, large tail.  
  
The siren went again and I glared at it irritably. I moved onto the next enclosure with the Mudkip and Yoryu in it. The Frezint must have decided to make its permanent home in the small girl's hair.  
  
_Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokemon. This pokemon is a rare type, found only in Hoenn and on Southern Island. This pokemon is much sought after, because of its ability to increase its attack power when its HP is low.  
  
Type: Water  
  
Weight: 16.8 lbs  
  
Height: 1'4  
  
Personality: This is a fun-loving pokemon. If it wants to show affection or trust for something, it squirts it with water. Many trainers have misinterpreted this and left the Mudkip feeling sad and confused.  
  
Attacks: Tackle and Growl.  
  
Next Attack: Mud Slap at level 6._   
  
I blinked in confusion, and then looked up at the Mudkip again. What greeted me was another faceful of water. I grimaced and wiped the water out of my eyes again. The Mudkip grinned at me, opened its mouth and prepared to shoot water at me again, when the siren went off. I moved and the water went past me and hit the wall next to the siren.  
  
I smirked at the Mudkip, and then proceeded to the next screen. Mudkip followed me around the enclosure until I stopped. It stopped too, right in front of the Yoryu.  
  
_Yoryu, the Yak Pokemon. This pokemon has been known to herd with Tauros and Miltank. It has been an object of interest for centuries, because of its bright, red fur. Though slow to anger, its retaliation will be swift and painful.  
  
Type: Normal  
  
Weight: 50 lbs.  
  
Height: 2'6.  
  
Personality: It has a slow, stupid nature. But when angered, its blood rushes and somehow makes this pokemon incredibly smart. It has powerful attacks, but has very slow speed.  
  
Attacks: Fury Swipes, Growl and Take Down.  
  
Next Attack: Fury Cutter at level 9._

I discovered how slow Yoryu was, when I looked up. My eyes widened and I put out my hands just in time to catch Mudkip who had learnt to fly. I looked over Mudkip to see Yoryu puffing. It has just finished using its Take Down. I shook my head and placed Mudkip back in the enclosure. Yoryu looked like a Miltank, Piloswine and Tauros crossed. It had long, red fur, horns and three tails. It ran around on all fours but it could stand if it needed to. It had the bands of silver that was trademark to Piloswine too.  
  
The Siren went off and I moved to the next screen. Since Frezint had chosen its trainer already, there wasn't much use reading its stats, but I love reading. And I love reading about pokemon. There also might be useful information too.  
  
_Frezint, the Frozen Dragon type. It has very few weaknesses due to it being a dual Ice and Dragon. It has a very curious nature. If it shows a liking for something, it will perch a top it to guard it.  
  
Type: Ice/ Dragon.  
  
Weight: 35 lbs.  
  
Height: 2'1.  
  
Personality: A curious, fun loving creature, it lives in the Arctic Region of Forenzis. Once angered, it will unleash and ice or dragon type move. It has the special ability to freeze anything near it for three metres, but won't freeze it if it trusts it, or is curious about it.  
  
Attacks: Powder Snow, Dragon Rage and Rest.  
  
Next Attack: Gust at level 10._The siren went just as I finished. I looked over at Mudkip. It was struggling to get out of the enclosure to get to me. I raised an eyebrow at it. It cocked its head and raised an eyebrow back at me.  
  
I moved on to the third enclosure. The Pichu, Liktretch and Hekark were awake now. The boy in front of me had all of his hair sticking up. He had gotten too close to the Pichu. I sighed and looked at the computer screen in front of me.  
  
_Pichu, the tiny mouse pokemon. It is the pre-evolution of Pikachu and isn't very skilled at holding electricity. As a result of that, it will send out an electrical current if upset or amused.  
  
Type: Electric  
  
Weight: 4 lbs.  
  
Height: 1'0  
  
Personality: It is a baby type, thus its inability to retain electricity for very long, Easily amused or upset; it is usually humorous to see the result of the person make the Pichu upset or happy.  
  
Attacks: Thundershock and Charm.  
  
Next Attack: Tail Whip at level 6._I studied the Pichu. It was inching closer to me. I put my hand in to pat it on the head, and then scratched it beneath the chin. It squeaked happily, and then skipped off. The siren went and I moved on. Now I was looking at the info of Liktretch.  
  
_Liktretch, the Licking Pokemon. This pokemon is mainly tongue, as its evolved form is Likitung, this can be explained. What can't be explained is where its brain, stomach and other, vital organs are.  
  
Type: Normal  
  
Weight: 15 lbs.  
  
Height: 0'4  
  
Personality: As this pokemon usually stays still, licking anything that passes, it is hard to tell. When it does move, it has a mischievous nature, tripping people up, then rolling off, laughing.  
  
Attacks: Lick, Growl and Roll Out.  
  
Next Attack: Sweet Kiss at level 6._   
  
I watch Liktretch, wondering if it would move. I kinda hoped it would, it might be entertaining. As I watched, the Pichu skipped over to the Liktretch, and then gave it a slight shock. The Liktretch then rolled after the giggling Pichu, trying to score a hit with Roll Out. I smiled as the siren went.  
  
The next pokemon was much more interesting. Hekark sat in a corner. As I watched, it made a pot plant near to the cage explode into growth. Now I was interested, so I looked at its info.  
  
_Hekark, the Shrub Pokemon. This Pokemon can often be found, hiding near to paths. When a Pokemon (Or an unsuspecting Trainer) comes along, it will leap out and ambush them.  
  
Type: Grass/ Ice  
  
Weight: 29 lbs  
  
Height: 1'8  
  
Personality: It has an unmerciful nature, because of its need for food. It will attack if provoked, but will run at the first chance.  
  
Attacks: Magical Leaf, Powdered Snow and Mean Look.  
  
Next Attack: Perish Song at level 9._   
  
I shivered. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't meet this pokemon out in the wild. It looked like a normal bush, apart from the fact that two, small, red eyes glared out at me. The siren went again. I moved onto the tenth and final pokemon.  
  
_Torchic, the Chick Pokemon, this pokemon hasn't got very good balance. But it still has very good attacks. If provoked, it will spit out a massive fireball.  
  
Weight: 6 lbs.  
  
Height: 1'4  
  
Personality: This pokemon is loyal. Even if a lake is between it and its Trainer, it will try to swim across the lake to get to its trainer. It is very powerful, mainly due to its fire type abilities.  
  
Attacks: Scratch and Growl.  
  
Next Attack: Focus Energy at level 7._   
  
I stared at the Torchic. For something very small, it seemed very powerful. The siren sounded, more loudly then the last time. I glared at it irritably, then walked over to my seat and sat down.  
  
The other ten sat down around me. I looked around again. The small girl still hadn't moved, but Frezint definitely had. It had now curled up, 'Meowth-like' on her head. I heard a slight snoring noise from that way too.  
  
Professor Rowan stepped up to the podium on the stage in front of us. "And now for the moment you've been waiting for. The moment where we announce the winners of the competion. In first place, we have Brandon Joyce, from Dictioy's own Scine Town!"  
  
Brandon came forward. He stood in front of all the enclosures, and then moved towards the third one. He stopped before it, and then lifted out the Liktretch.  
  
"I choose this one." He announced, as the Liktretch tried licking him. Brandon let it as he went to collect his bag. He only stopped it when it tried to lick up his nose. By the wall were ten bags, one for each of the trainers. Each trainer got a bag corresponding to the element of the pokemon they took. Brandon walked up to the stage and had received a white one.  
  
"And now, in Second place, "Announced Professor Rowan. "We have Katrina Churchill!" He held up an Orange bag. I stared blankly, then realised that the international colour for Dragon types was orange.  
  
Katrina A.K.A The Small Girl stepped up onto the stage. She took the orange bag and slung it around her back with a small grin. She jumped off the stage, and then went back to her seat. The Frezint on her head was looking pretty irritable by then.  
  
"In third place is Sam Sapphire." I smiled and stood up. Now was the hard part. What pokemon should I choose? Mudkip was still trying to get to me. Pichu was giggling as it sent a few jolts everywhere. Torchic stared at me, then hiccuped another, huge fireball. And Qizret just stood there, sprouting babble.

**_Ok, this is your choice. Who should Sam choose? It's your choice. The seven remaining pokemon are: Torchic, Pichu, Treecko, Mudkip, Yoryu, Qizret and Hekark._**

**_Put down in your review (If you have one) What you want._**


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

New Friends and Foe

I walked between each of the enclosures, thinking about each Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses. In Dictoy, the best choice would probably be a Fighting type, but there weren't any fighting types. Anyway, I don't much like fighting types.

The second best would be a fire type. That would be Torchic, who still had the hiccups. I shuddered. I didn't really want to be barbequed.

And the third best would be a water type. The _ONLY_ water type was the Mudkip who seemed to like me so much.

I sighed, and then prayed to Mew that I was picking the right one.

I strode forward to Mudkip's enclosure. It had stopped struggling to get out and was now watching me intently. I bent over the enclosure sides, and then picked Mudkip up. It squirmed happily in my arms.

"You had better behave." I told it. Mudkip beamed at me, and then jumped out of my arms to walk ahead of me. I rolled my eyes as I walked behind it to the stage. It was strutting, acting like it was the world's top celebrity.

As I climbed up on the stage, I wonder what gender my Mudkip was. And what its nature was like. I hope it wasn't ANYWHERE as temperamental as Ash Ketchum's Pikachu was.

Professor Rowan stood in front of me, grinning and holding out a bag. It was a nice, sapphire blue colour. _At least I can get ONE good thing out of choosing Mudkip._ I thought to myself. After I had a hold of my new bag, I accepted Mudkip's Pokeball. It too, was a sapphire colour.

"Thanks." I murmured to Professor Rowan. "I hope my Mudkip is as nice as yours." Professor Rowan had also chosen a Mudkip when he had started out on his journey. After he had quit his journey to take up research, he had let his Mudkip, Trita, out permanently. She was a friendly Mudkip, always eager for a pat and a scratch beneath the chin.

Mudkip seemed eager to disprove this point by dousing my face with water again. I wiped the water out of my eyes as a round of laughter went around the room. I glared at Mudkip who wasn't fazed at all.

"I'll get you back for that at some point." I told it. It stared up at me, and then sprayed me again.

I grimaced, and then wiped the water out of my eyes again. I glared at Mudkip, and then froze it in place with my psychic powers.

As I walked back to my seat, carrying Mudkip, my bag and Mudkip's pokeball, I thought about the life I was about to embark on.

Boiling hot and freezing cold temperatures, ages without having showers, not much civilization and no comfort were the cons.

But the pros more than made up for them. Lots of new friends, new pokemon, fun, perfect days and a large chance to touch up on cooking skills and lots of exercise.

And if I got too starved for contact from civilization, I could always e-mail home with my Poke-Nav.

Professor Rowan's voice suddenly broke through my day-dreams.

"And in sixth place, from the Janera region, Hope Joye!" Professor Rowan said with a huge flourish.

I glanced up to see this 'Hope Joye' and froze. It was the girl who had tried to bully me.

She walked up to the third enclosure with a menacing grin. I had a feeling the pokemon she would be choosing would not be happy with its new trainer.

Sure enough, Hekark eyed Hope evilly, and then sprayed tons of Leech Seeds into her hair.

"Why you little-!" Hope snarled angrily trailing off and into a high scream. The seeds burst and thin green vines erupted, coiling around her arms and sinking in pale yellow creeper claws. They glowed with hungry vibrance as her life energy was bled away with each throb of light. Everyone stood rooted to the spot in horror. None of has had ever dreamed of having our beginning Pokemon attack us! I wasn't frozen; I was hiding a small, irrepressible smile beneath my hand.

Professor Willow ran up to the enclosure with a look of worry on her face.

"Hekark let her be!" She yelled at Hekark. She had to yell in order to be heard above Hope's screams.

I looked at Professor Rowan and Professor Elder, they too, were smiling.

Hekark glared up at Professor Willow, and then released its leeching hold on Hope. She collapsed to her knees, drained.

As Professor Willow rushed over to see if she was alright, Hope climbed to her feet.

"Good luck getting rid of it." She snarled at Willow. Willow looked shocked, and then anger set in.

"Well, obviously Hekark didn't like you and your attitude on Pokemon. Otherwise it wouldn't have done that!" Professor Willow retorted. "And if that happens again, you'll be forfeiting your place to another person!"

Hope gave a glare that was almost a match of Hekark's glare.

"Fine." She said, and then stomped off to Yoryu's enclosure. "I choose it!"

She tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy for her. With a sigh, I glanced at Professor Rowan. He nodded.

I shook my head. I fixed my powers on Yoryu, then lifted him into the air and made him fly over to the stage.

I glanced at Hope; she narrowed her eyes at me. "I was able to pick him up. So next time, LEAVE IT ALONE!"

I jumped back shock, accidentally releasing my hold on Mudkip. Mudkip twitched its orange whiskers, and then jumped to the ground.

With a small 'Kiiiiip!" It sent out a torrent of water at Hope.

I grinned then picked Mudkip back up as Hope came marching up to me.

"I'll get you later. And your stupid little fish too!" She hissed. As she marched up to the stage, I grinned at Mudkip.

"Good job!" I whispered.

"Kip!" He agreed. With a yawn, he settled in for a nap.

I resumed my chair. I actually couldn't remember when I had gotten up.

To cut a long story short, here's how the rest went:

Nick came seventh, he chose Pichu.

A girl called Amy came Eighth. She chose Qizret.

A boy called Kai came Ninth. He chose Treecko.

And a boy that looked like Kai's twin came last. He chose the belching Torchic.

Finally, Professor Elder stood up at the podium. "Please note that within the left-hand pocket of your backpack is a Poke-Nav. If you already have one, please hand it back to Professor Willow. There are also Poke-Nav chips in a packet beside it. These will give you a map of Dictioy, the Pokedex for this region and a Radio card. Also note that your Trainer Cards will activate in five minutes, so don't start any battles until then, because they won't be counted. I hope to hear that at least one of you has reached the Diamond League Headquarters with eight badges. Thank you for attending."

He rattled that off in a monotone, which told me he probably had that memorized.

I reached in too my back-pack and withdrew the Poke-Nav. It was also a blue-colour. I drew my Poke-Nav out, and then decided between the two.

I shrugged, and then put them both in my bag. Having two couldn't hurt. I'd have one for Pokemon Training, and one for leisure.

I stood up, and then nudged Mudkip. "Come on, time to wake up. We're leaving." I told him. All he did was turn over in his sleep.

I shook my head again, and then walked for the door.

As I was about to walk out onto the street, I hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned around to find Professor Rowan.

"Good. I'm glad I got to you before you left. Sam, as a way of repaying you for your help with my research for the past three years, I've given you some money. It'll be on your Trainer Card." He said.

"What? You didn't have to do that. I did that willingly, I don't want to be paid!" I told him, my eyes widening.

Secretly, I was pleased. At least I would have more than $3000, which the International Pokemon League supplied.

They gave you that, hoping you would spend it on Training stuff.

"I know, but I did it anyway. You earned it." He said with a smile.

"What? For cleaning out cages, washing Pokemon, observing them and feeding them?" I cried.

"That isn't very much really." _Except for that bloody Growlithe. _I thought to myself.

The Growlithe refused to have a bath, then, when I had gone to get another Pokemon to wash, it had jumped in and splashed to its hearts' content. Meaning I'd come back and find no water in the bathtub and the Growlithe rolling in a nearby mud-puddle.

"Yes. They're a lot more work than you know. I had $7000 transferred to your account. So you'll have $10000 to spend!"

I gave him a strange look.

"How long's it been since you've slept?" I asked him. When he hadn't slept for a while, Professor Rowan got strange ideas.

The last time he hadn't slept for four days and then he tried teaching a Persian and her litter of Meowths to swim.

"Last night. So there! Now go!" He pushed me out of the building, and then closed the door.

I gave the building one last look, and then headed for the nearest Poke-Mart.

Pokemart 

As I walked into the Poke-Mart, I listed the things I needed.

A tent or a sleeping bag was one.

Some new clothes.

LOTS of food and Poke-Food.

And I'd heard about the latest technology from Silph Co. Translators that translated Pokenese, the language that Pokemon spoke.

So, I headed to the technology section first. I was curious about the translators and I wanted to know what Mudkip was saying.

As I walked down the corridor, I looked to my left and to my right. Collars to which you could strap translators. The actual translators, and for some reason jewelry and glasses.

I stopped, and then took down a pair of contact lenses. _Want to learn what Pokemon say with their body movements? With these, you can! _Then lots of stuff of which I didn't bother reading.

I looked at the contact lenses for a moment, and then added them to the basket which I had picked up on my way in.

"I way as well use the money Professor Rowan gave me for something useful." I muttered.

I looked along the say aisle. Rings, nose rings, earrings and bracelets leapt out at me.

I stopped. Maybe I should buy a stud for my right ear. I could get my ear pierced later. I was also supposed to be the latest fashion with guys right now.

I shrugged, and then added a blue stud to the basket. I didn't often do something crazy. This would use up my craziness for the next two months. Anyway, my ears were usually hidden by my hair.

I also added a magnetic necklace to the basket. If I had any prize pokemon apart from Mudkip, I'd store it on the necklace.

I walked to the nearest staircase, and then walked up to the food area. I picked out some instant food, then added fruit, some vegetables and other stuff to the basket.

Then for my pokemon, I bought a Bottle of Rare Candies, some Pokemon Treats, Pokemon meals, stuff like that.

Once my basket was starting to feel slightly heavy, I trudged back down the stairs. As I left the stairway, a stand caught my eye. On it were badge cases. I walked over and inspected them.

Each one was a different colour. But each colour hade their own set of songs. When you opened the case, it played the song you chose. I picked up the blue one (Did anyone guess I would pick that one?) and looked at the back. It could play the Johto National Song, and some others.

Dreams, With All Your Heart, It was You, Catch Me If You Can, If Only Tears Could Bring You Back, You and Me and Pokemon and Together Forever

I put it down and looked at the others. Some of them had my favorites, but the one with most of my favorites was blue. Why was it always blue? I'm not complaining, but, it is interesting.

I added it to the stack of items in my basket, and then headed down the next set of stairs.

Here was the Poke-Aids section. Pokeballs, Vitamins and Stat Ups were here.

I headed down the Pokeball area, and saw very strange items. Custard Balls.

I pulled it off the shelf and read it.

_Custard Balls! The latest treat from Devon Co! Throw one of these to a Wild Pokemon and get it to like you, before you capture it! They taste so good; it's hard to stop the trainer eating them!_

I gave the packet a skeptical look. I added it to the basket. Mudkip or Wild Pokemon would like them. Not me, I hated custard with a passion.

Finally, after adding 5 more pokeballs to the basket, I walked downstairs to the clothes section. I picked out a hooded top, and then added another two like it to the basket. I then got some jeans and shorts. I had other clothes in my bag that would keep me warm.

I finally walked to the checkout on the bottom floor after adding more stuff (Like a sleeping bag and Tent to the basket. By now, I was levitating it in front of me.)

As I went down the stairs, I saw a special stand in front of me.

_They just put those where everyone can see them, don't they?_ I asked myself.

I went over, and saw it was a Telepathic Wave Translator. It could clip onto necklaces and earrings. It would enhance your psychic powers and actually give you some if you don't have any!

_Not telekinetic? Can't control the Kadabra that you just caught? No problem! Just clip this on, and you'll get psychic powers or your powers will be enhanced!_

I shook my head yet again, and then added it.

I walked over to the nearest checkout, and then dropped all of the stuff onto the table.

The woman behind the desk gave me a strange look.

"I hope you can pay for all of these." She told me in a warning tone.

"I should be able to. Don't worry about that." I told her. I leaned against the table as she scanned everything. I was slightly dizzy from levitating things, but that was soon over.

"Ok, that'll be $9500!" She told me with a superior look on her face.

Wearily, I scanned my Trainer Card in the slot next to the Cash-Register. The woman gave me another irritating grin, and then she jumped as the receipt started printing.

I gave her a grin that matched her own. She glared at me, and then started packing things into bags.

"Do you have a Medical Condition to need contact lenses, or do you just want them to translate Pokemon Movements?"

She asked me, irritation visible on her face. I smiled at her again, and then pulled out the medical ticket from my pocket. I had had contact lenses since I was eleven.

"Here." I showed the ticket to her." I'm short sighted in this eye, and long sighted in this one." I pointed to each eye as I talked.

I seemed to inherit everything from my mother's side of the family. Including my eyesight. I got that from my Grandmother.

I got my hair from my mother, looks from my Uncle, etc.

When I finally got out of the building, I was weighed down with bags. I sat down on a nearby bench, and then rummaged through the bags until I found the Telepathic Wave Translator. As Mudkip jumped up onto the bench next to me, I clipped it onto the necklace I had also picked out. I put the necklace around my neck, and then jumped as the Telepathic Wave Translator started to work. I suddenly felt my powers enhancing. When they finally stopped growing, I was grinning and feeling refreshed.

"Much better." I told Mudkip. "How do I look?"

Mudkip looked at me, and then nodded. He was slightly irritated because he had to stay outside. Pokemon weren't allowed in Poke-Marts for some reason.

"Now, where's an ear-piercing salon?" I muttered to myself. Mudkip jumped off the bench and started walking towards a shop that has some people going into it. 'The Jinx Piercing Parlor'. I read.

Then I shrugged again. "Just wait Mudkip; I need to pack this stuff away." I yelled after him.

Mudkip turned and walked back, as if to say that he was just stretching his legs.

I smiled. "Can you make sure no-one tries to take anything while I'm packing? I asked him.

Mudkip nodded, and then lay down, keeping one eye half open.

As I began to pack I heard a faint snoring noise coming from Mudkip. _Is that real or not?_ I thought.

I continued packing. I was suddenly disturbed as Mudkip shot a jet of water at a nearby pokemon. I looked and saw a very miserable, very wet Eevee. I frowned, and then stood up. The Eevee squeaked as it saw me. It had been standing near the Poke-Food bag, but now it tried to run. I stared at its tail as it whipped around a corner. I shook my head, and then took after it.

**_Mudkip! Take care of the bags! _**I told him telepathically. While my attention was on sending a message to Mudkip, I didn't see the garbage can in my way.

BAM!!!! Suddenly I found myself staring at the ground. "Ow." I muttered, not really wanting to attract attention by yelling.

I winced, and then leapt up. I winced again. I had hurt my ankle when I tripped.

I tried to run, but my ankle faltered and I fell to the ground again. I saw the Eevee running away, still in a straight line. I frowned, and then froze it.

As I stumbled my way towards the Eevee, I sent another message to Mudkip.

**_Hey Mudkip, I don't suppose you can get a round, circular ball out of one of the bags and water gun it up the street? _**I knew he couldn't answer, so I cut off the link to him.

When I heard water splashing behind me, I turned. And got a faceful of custard for my troubles.

_**I didn't mean THAT kind of ball. Can you get a hard, metal one?**_

From up the alley, I heard a loud "Kiip!" in agreement. I hope, anyway.

I continued to hobble up the alleyway, keeping Eevee frozen in place. When I finally got to it, I crouched, wincing as my ankle protested.

I inspected it, noting some bruises, scabbed over injuries and...

"What the?" I asked myself. I looked closer. The Eevee had a broken paw, one with bone poking out of it. That wasn't the worst news. There was a purple sludge around the paw. The sort of sludge you would get from a poison type's 'Toxic' attack.

The sound of another jet of water made me turn again. In time to receive a faceful of water, a hard hit on the forehead and pressure enough on my ankle to make it give way. It also released my fixation on Eevee to keep it frozen.

The sound of it running off made me turn my head again and receive a faceful of gutter water.

I got up, stumbled, and then sighed. I lifted my sore foot slightly with my powers, and then ran again. I lifted my hand behind me and summoned the, ULTRABALL?!?!?

I put down a mental note to teach Mudkip the difference between Pokeballs.

"Why did I become a trainer?" I asked myself. "Oh, now I remember. I was inspired by other people's stories of friendship and courage. They don't mention having a Hydromaniac for a Pokemon, having Pokemon run away from you and splattering you with sludge. Oh they don't mention getting injured OR having Pokemon that don't know what a Pokeball is, even though it's been in one most of its life!" I continued rambling like that.

As I ran, I scared several street Pokemon out of their hiding spots. Some Nymbis, cloud-like pokemon dodged out of the way, and then followed me, lightning bolts flickering from them.

Rattata jumped from garbage cans they had been looking though. They hissed at me, and then ran off into the shadows.

I even saw a Shahman. I seriously considered stopping to catch it, but Eevee was my main concern.

I was starting to catch up to Eevee when it suddenly wheeled. It jumped up on its tail, and then started sweeping dust at me.

For a moment I was blinded by the Sand Attack, but the dust soon cleared.

When I could see again, Eevee was on its side, panting and looking at me. I walked over to it, and then crouched. I stared at Eevee's sore paw. It amazed me how it could have run so far with such a bad break to its bone.

"It's ok." I said in what I hope was a soothing voice. It was hard to sound soothing when you were having a bad day and you were out of breath. "I won't hurt you. I want to help you."

I picked her up, and then started walking back towards Mudkip. While I was walking, I suddenly remembered the Ultraball Mudkip had given me.

I held it up, and then grimaced when Eevee winced. "Sorry, but it will be easier to carry you when your in one." When Eevee turned its head, I tapped it lightly with the Ultraball. I stood, waiting for Eevee to be sucked in. Nothing happened.

I frowned and tapped Eevee again. Nothing. I let the Ultraball drop slightly so it rested on Eevee. Still nothing.

Eevee looked up at me. "You were abandoned?" I asked her, she nodded, and then looked away again.

I suddenly felt cold. Abandoning your Pokemon wasn't just immoral, it was illegal!

Pokemon were like children, they depended on you for food and safety.

If you were caught abandoning your Pokemon, there were severe consequences. All of your pokemon were sent instantly to the nearest Pokemon Training Academy. Your Trainer Record was stricken from the International League's Record and you weren't allowed to trainer pokemon ever again. That had only happen to 79 people this century, which is a lot in four years, when you think of it.

"Don't be ashamed, your trainer should be doing that." I said to her. "I'll get you to the Pokemon Centre, they'll fix you up."

A sudden rustle attracted my attention. I looked up to see the one of the Nymbis I had angered earlier. "Uh oh."

The Nymbis felt the opposite, due to the large grin that sprouted on what appeared to be a face.

I looked around helplessly. I looked down, hoping to see something on the ground. I saw nothing, and then my eyes were drawn closer to my body. What I saw was the Ultraball I had put on my belt when I found out I couldn't catch Eevee.

I pulled it off my belt quickly; it enlarged until it was it's usually size.

Then I did the Pokeball pose I had practiced for three years.

I threw the Ultraball into the air, caught it, spun once, threw it up again then I hit the Ultraball right at the Nymbis.

The Nymbis's eyes widened. It tried to dodge, but it was too slow. With a small ping, it got sucked into the Ultraball.

The Ultraball hit the ground, and then rolled slightly. It shook once, twice, three times. I held my breath. PING! The red light on the release button faded, letting the button return to its original grey.

I started shaking. I exhaled and then walked up to the yellow, black and grey sphere on the ground. As excitement built up inside me, I picked it up.

"YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I yelled, finally unable to control my excitement. I stared at the ball in my hand. I had caught my first Pokemon!

I executed my throwing pose again, except this time, I got the Ultraball the second time I caught it and held it out. "I caught a Nymbis!"

That earned a strange look from Eevee. She was still nestled in my arms. "What?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "Eev."

I attached Nymbis's Pokeball to my belt, shrinking it down to it's storage size. With a satisfied grin, I set off to where Mudkip was.

When I finally reached Mudkip, there were puddles of water surrounding the bags in an almost complete circle.

I raised my eyebrow. "Lots of people trying to take our stuff?" It was a stupid question, but I asked it anyway.

Mudkip nodded, looking proud of itself. As if to demonstrate his squirting power, he sent a stream of water at a innocent Pidgey which was twenty feet away.

I shook my head. I placed Eevee next to Mudkip, and then started packing again. By the time I was finished, it was twelve.

"Ok, let's get you to a Pokemon centre." I knew I couldn't move Eevee that much; otherwise the bone would come out further.

That was why I hadn't gone to the Pokemon Centre right away.

I levitated Eevee slowly, stood up, and then gently put my arms around her. Once she was safely in my arms, I started walking to the Pokemon Centre. I looked around as I walked. Comed Town was really nice, not too big, and not too small. Pokemon everywhere, lots of trees and the occasional pond.

When I finally got to the Pokemon Centre, I sighed with relief. I walked in. Nurse Joy was sitting just behind the desk. She looked up as I walked up.

"Yes? How can I help you?" She said, clicking on another window of the computer she was working on.

"Hi. It's this Eevee. She's got a broken paw. Look!" I held Eevee up, to show Nurse Joy where the bone was coming out. It was beyond me how she had missed it anyway.

Far, FAR beyond me. Intergalactic beyond.

She looked at Eevee's paw. "Oh my goodness!" She yelled. "Quickly, give it here. Healtia, get me a stretcher for a canine Pokemon, normal type!" She turned to me. "Swipe your Trainer Card through the slot there. That way only you can pick Eevee up. Your lucky that we have a Healtia here." She said as the Healtia came up with a small stretcher. Healtia was the evolved form of Blissey. Blissey evolve when they have enough love in their hearts to love every living thing. That's what Professor Elm said anyway.

Healtia was bigger than Blissey, but it still had the trademark egg. It still had curls at the side of it's head, but they were longer. It also had smaller feet than Blissey and Chansey. A cap with a cross perched atop it's head. The cross was an Aqua colour.

When I hesitated, Nurse Joy frowned. This Eevee DOES belong to you, doesn't it? Because if you've stolen it, I'll certainly be telling Officer Jenny" She said, putting on the lecture voice my mother sometimes put on when she was telling off someone.

"Oh, no. I didn't steal her, she was abandoned. I had to chase her through several alleyways before I could catch her. She got me good with a Sand Attack though. "I grinned. I think I was setting a record for smiling today. It was definitely the most I had ever smiled before.

"Did she?" Nurse Joy said absently. She was now typing on the computer. She scanned Eevee, then took her and placed her on the stretcher. "Her old trainer's data is on the computer. You can look at it if you want to."

"Oh, I will, I definitely will." I muttered. I turned the computer around. On it was a picture of her trainer and his information.

**Name**: Eric Tacyr

**Age**: 19

**Hometown**: _New Bark Town_

**Poke-Nav**: _06-7492-6642_

I dialed in his number to my Poke-Nav, and then wandered off to a private place. I didn't want anyone looking at me oddly while I was yelling. It was bad enough that some people had been staring at me when I caught Nymbis.

Two Hours Later 

I was sitting down in the Phone Room of the Pokemon Centre, I was trying to teach Mudkip Paper, Scissors and Rock. It wasn't going very well.

When I finally gave up, I looked towards the door and saw Nurse Joy walk through.

As she walked up to me, I saw a very familiar, very tall person walk in the room.

"Eevee will be fine. She'll need to stay the night, that way we can get out all the Poison. In the morning, she can have a drink made from one of Healtia's eggs. Having one of them can almost cure the dead. She can't have one now because she's sleeping. Do you want me to book you a room?" She said, talking as though I was the one hurt, not Eevee.

"Yes. Thanks. Do you think you could check my Nymbis? I just caught it off the street, so I don't know how healthy it is." I said slowly. I unclipped Nymbis's Pokeball and handed it to Joy.

"I don't know about Mudkip. Do you want a check-up?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Ok then."

"Ok. I'll book you room 23. The curfew for the Centre is 11:00pm, ok?" Joy said. She walked out of the room, muttering to herself. As Joy's pink hair disappeared around the corner, another familiar person entered the room. Katrina entered the room and headed for a Video-Phone, her Frezint still perched on her head.

I wondered vaguely if that Frezint was ever going to leave the top of her head. I wandered out of the room. Mudkip followed me as I left the Pokemon Centre. I stopped, suddenly realizing that I had left my backpack in the Centre. I shook my head, then went back to get it.

As I left the Centre for the second time, I thought back to that Shahman I had seen. I really wanted one. They were hard to find, but they were worth it if you did get one.

Unconsciously, I followed the path back to the shopping plaza I had found Eevee in. Cars, trees and a pond past unnoticed.

The Plaza was still the same. People rushing around aimlessly, a couple of Pidgey's flying from people's feet. I kept walking. I eventually walked into the Jinx Piercing Parlor. When I walked out, I walked out with an aching ear and a small, foolish grin. The woman in there had told me I could wear the Translator right away, due to the fact that it was small enough to be called a stud.

When Mudkip saw me, he raised his eyebrows. "_A human male wearing an ear decoration? That's new._"He said. His voice sounded just like it did when he said his name. Slightly high pitched and loud.

I gave him a strange look. "You obviously haven't been around guys that much then. If you had you, you-. What?" Mudkip was staring at me like I had grown two more heads. With the way my day was going, I wouldn't have been surprised if that had happened.

"_You can understand me? FINALLY! Now we can discuss nick-names. Calling me Mudkip is like me calling you human, human._" Mudkip said, looking superior. I had never really thought about nicknames that way before.

"Ok. Sorry. My name's Sam. And as for you, how about, um, Tidal? Tsunami? Rift? Poseidon? Apollo? Artemis?" I was running out of names. With each name, Mudkip had shaken his head. But at the last one, he gazed at me thoughtfully. I could almost see the gears of his brain working.

"_Artemis? Artemis. Hmm, sounds good. Ok then, Artemis! Just wondering, who was Artemis? You would have to know who that was; otherwise you wouldn't have said that name._" Mudkip said, looking puzzled. He twitched his orange whiskers as he thought.

Looking puzzled was a feat for him. Mudkip don't have many facial features.

I struggled to hide another grin. "Artemis was one of the ancient gods of the Metone Area. Artemis was in charge of the wilderness and was the best hunter in the world. Artemis was generally worshipped by most of the ancient Metonians." I explained.

_I'm just not going to tell him that Artemis was female. If I do, it'll take longer for him to agree to a nickname._

"_Really? Cool! Artemis it is! Hi Sam, I'm Artemis! I am Artemis, God of the Wilderness! Every Pokemon should fear and obey me!_ "Exclaimed Artemis, as he jumped onto a nearby bench and striking a fighting pose. To accent the pose, he shot a stream of water straight into the air. Of course it came down again, right on top of him.

"Artemis_, God of the Wilderness? More like Artemis, God of the Stupid!_" Catcalled a nearby Skitty. She was sitting next to her owner, a large, rich looking woman. She looked rich because of her Ninetails fur coat. I frowned at the Skitty. She frowned back.

Then I frowned at the fur coat of the woman. Why kill a Pokemon for the use of fashion?

"Come on, let's go." I told Artemis. I set off for the Pokemon Centre again. Now I was thinking about a nickname for Nymbis and maybe Eevee. I had already gotten a nickname for the baby in Anticairon's egg. The baby would either be a Polienix or a Magnetix, depending on the gender. If it was a girl, it would be a Polienix, a male and it would be Magnetix.

When I had gotten the egg, I had decided to either name the baby Hera or Zeus. Zeus didn't seem like such a good idea now. It was more like a good nickname for Nymbis. So I'd name him Zeus.

And Eevee, what would I name her? Diana? Ceres? Demeter? Out of those three, I'll choose, Diana. Diana the Eevee.

So, my part was: Artemis the Mudkip, Zeus the Nymbis, Hera or Hephaestus the Polienix/ Magnetix and Diana the Eevee.

Four Pokemon already and I hadn't even started on my journey yet!

I started wondering if any of the others had gotten any more pokemon yet.

I was so pre-occupied, that I didn't see the small form in my way until I ran into it. I was fine, I simply stopped, but Katrina was knocked to the ground. I stared at her, and then offered a hand down to her. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

She grabbed my hand, and then suddenly I was on the ground, looking at the sky. I blinked, and then slowly got up.

"Ow." I said. By the time I had gotten to my feet, Katrina was on hers and staring daggers at me.

"What?" I asked her. "I mean it, I didn't see you." Suddenly I turned red. "Not that I mean anything on your size or-"

WHAM! I saw stars and then I saw the sky again. _Oh great. I've found the new Karate Master for this generation_. I thought to myself as my vision cleared.

I knew some self-defense which I had learnt off my Dad's Machamp, but my knowledge was limited.

Once I had staggered to my feet again, I looked at Katrina again. She had her hands balled into fists and was about to throw another punch at my face. I quickly stopped her by freezing her fist.

"Can I simply get to my feet without getting hurt?" I asked her.

Her reply was to punch me with the other fist. Yet again I saw stars. And yet again, I saw the sky. Then darkness.

I was awoken by the torrent of water from my ever faithful Mudkip. The same Mudkip that had let his trainer get hit to the ground three times in a row._ Bloody thing is trained with both fists, not just one._ I thought.

By now, my weekly amount of patience had worn thin. I froze her in place. With my eyes half crossed, I staggered to my feet.

"Can't I simply talk without being hit?" I asked her, rubbing my jaw.

"No. I don't like being teased for my size." Katrina said, obviously struggling to move her petrified body. This was the first time I could get a good look at her.

She was wearing black clothes. Total black, with a black beanie. Chains completed the costume. A total rebel, if you only judged her by her clothes. It was her hair that made her unusual. It was a brownie-blond, but had a purple streak on either side of her head. It was the purple of an Espeon's fur. It wasn't the unnatural purple of dye. This purple looked completely natural. Her eyes were a deep, ocean blue.

"Let me go! My Uncle is Lance of the Elite Four! If I call him, he'll get all the Elite onto you!" She threatened, saying that like she really meant it. I rolled my eyes. Of course, having the world's Dragon Master as your Uncle would definitely influence your starter pokemon choice. That was probably the reason why she had chosen Frezint

"Oh no, I am so scared." I replied. "What else will you do? Get Sabrina onto me as well?"

The most powerful psychic trainer in the world was Sabrina, no question. With her mind alone, she could lift up the Pokemon Coliseum in the Oore region. The second most powerful trainer in the world could only lift up the Pokemon Stadium in White City.

"Don't think I can't do that!" Katrina threatened. I sighed, and then released her. She pitched onto her face, unprepared to be on her feet. I rolled my eyes, then levitated her again and set her gently on her feet. "Thank you." She said in a gruff voice.

"Don't think I've forgotten those insults about my size."

"I wouldn't dream of it." I said a smile play over my lips. I was prepared when she suddenly rushed at me. I jumped in the air, aided by my powers and jumped up on a broad branch of a nearby tree. That was a mistake. I landed on a Caterpie's tail. The Caterpie, in turn, squealed, spun around and sprayed me with a String Shot.

I covered my eyes, and then froze as I felt my arms being bound to my chest. When I was completely covered in white, sticky string, except for my head, the Caterpie, satisfied, sprayed string upwards, then lowered itself down into a bush, then wriggled off.

I looked at Katrina. "A little help? Please?" I knew I sounded pathetic after what I had said before. She goggled at me, then started laughing her head off. Frezint and Artemis joined her. I glared at Artemis. "Traitor." I muttered.

He continued to laugh at me. I didn't use my powers to get revenge on him. If I used anymore, I would probably faint soon.

After wiping tears out of her eyes, Katrina turned to Frezint. "Drogan, can you fly up there and see if you can lift him?"

Drogan nodded. With a flap of his wings, he lifted into the air. When he was just on the level of my head, he flew forward and attached his claws to my hair.

I winced as he started pulling on my hair. After a while, he gave up. He flew back down to Katrina and landed on her head.

"_You need to lose some weight human_. "He told me, smirking because he thought I couldn't understand me.

"I need to lose some weight? You'll pay for that. Artemis, squirt him." I ordered Artemis. He shook his head. He and Drogan must have made friends while Katrina and I were fighting.

I sighed again. "As a matter of fact, I'm light for my age." I told Drogan. He gave me a strange look when I said that.

"So, the kid's gotten stuck in a tree." A voice drawled behind me. I shut me eyes slowly. _Please, not him_. I thought to myself.

Nick walked into sight. His hair stuck up in several tufts, testimony to his Pichu.

"How're we going to get you down then. Your Frezint any use here Kat?" He asked Katrina.

Katrina shook her head. _Of course, they'd know each other wouldn't they? He's the son of Bruno and she's the niece of Lance._

_The must have met each other at a party for the Elite Four or something._ I silently told myself.

"You know, if your Pichu shocked the string, it might fall apart."I suggested. Some sticky things lost they're clinging ability if they were shocked.

A look of unease crossed Nick's face, then it disappeared as he grinned. "It might work. Of course, Sparx might not be able to shock you. He lets out electricity every so often. Scare him and he might shock you. I hope you don't mind being barbequed."

Nick said, his grin growing wider and wider as he spoke.

"Whatever. The sooner I'm out of here, the sooner I can get back to Diana." I said, then winced. They wouldn't know that Diana was an Eevee, not a human.

They obviously thought that Diana was the latter, because they both started laughing and making kissing noises. I glared at them, then lifted Sparx into the air with my mind. He froze, then-. "CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!"

I was the one grinning now. They were both on the ground, small bolts flickering over them. I gently brought Sparx up to rest on the branch next to me. Now that he saw what he had done to his trainer and Katrina, he started giggling, clapping and wriggling his feet. I stared at him, then yelled "BOO!"

He jumped, not noticing I was there. He let loose some lightning. I shook, not preparing for the pain.

The cord fell from around me, I fell forward. A stream of water kept me upright. When I had somehow managed to sit down, the water let off. Artemis had kept me up. "Thanks." I muttered hoarsely.

Artemis grinned, then bounded up the tree, jumping from branch to branch. I watched him bemusedly.

"_Come on Sam, time to get down._" Artemis said, throwing me an encouraging smile. I tried smiling back. I slid from the tree and landed on the ground. I looked up in time to see Mudkip land in my lap.

I sudden voice from behind me made me turn.

"Oh, a nerd, a dwarf and a giant. What an odd group." Nick, Katrina and I turned. What I saw was an unwelcome sight. Hope sauntered up, her Yoryu in it's Pokeball.

She had a Poke-Translator in her ear too. Apart from that, nothing else had changed in her appearance.

"Don't you have someone else to annoy? Someone else to irritate. I know someone you could irritate. How about a Caterpie? It should be in that bush there." I said, pointing to the bush Caterpie had crawled into.

Hopefully she would take the bait.

"No, thanks anyway. I've been looking for you. Let's battle. You've had me annoyed ever since you hurt me and then helped me." She said, staring daggers at me. I quickly checked her belt. Two Pokeballs rested there. She had caught a Pokemon.

Hopefully not a strong one. If it was, I would be dead.

I quickly whipped out my Pokedex and pressed a small white button on it. Instantly, Zeus's Pokeball was transported to it.

I snatched it up, then stood up.

"You're on." I said, hopefully sounding confident.

"Fine. GO YORYU!" She yelled, throwing the red and white sphere toward me. Yoryu came out, blinking it's eyes sleepily.

When it saw Mudkip, it got into a charging position. It charged, it's head down, making it so that it couldn't see anything at all.

It had a natural ability for direction, because it aimed right at Artemis.

"Artemis, use Water Gun on the ground beneath you!" I called out to him. Artemis looked down and released a Water Gun.

As he sped up straight in the air, Yoryu came underneath him and instantly got pressured to the ground. Now it was pinned, I got Artemis to use his next move.

"Use your Tackle from the air Artemis!" I yelled. Artemis sped down and landed right in the center of Yoryu's back.

I winced, that must have been painful. Artemis landed in front of Yoryu and staggered a bit.

"Use Mud Slap!" I shouted. Artemis stamped his front legs and a wave of mud came out of nowhere. It traveled along the ground towards Yoryu. It finally hit, hurting Yoryu and putting mud in his eyes.

Yoryu roared in pain, then ran towards Artemis. Artemis, unprepared for a quick retaliation froze. Yoryu hit him with a devastating Skull Bash. Artemis flew towards the tree I had gotten stuck in and hit the trunk. When he slid down, he collapsed to the ground.

Yoryu ran towards the sound of Artemis and hit Artemis with a Headbutt. Artemis flew back into the trunk and fell to the ground, knocked out.

I bit my lip. "Artemis, return!" I called. I held out Artemis's Pokeball. He got sucked in with a red beam of light. I looked at it.

"Great job Artemis." I told it.

I put Artemis's ball on my belt, and then drew out Zeus's pokeball. "Go Zeus!" I threw the Pokeball. When it bounced on the ground, it let Zeus out. It then flew back to my outstretched hand.

Zeus appeared with a flash of golden light. He looked around, and then spotted Yoryu. When he turned to see his trainer, an evil grin crossed his face. I resisted the urge to step back. I stood up slightly taller and pointed my hand at Yoryu.

"Use your Thundershock Zeus!" I said, hoping he would do it.

He used it alright. On the wrong thing. I experience my second electrical shock in one day. As I steamed, Zeus laughed at me. He didn't see Yoryu coming up behind him, using its Skull Bash along with Agility.

I ducked in time to miss having a collision with Zeus. He regained himself, and then flew at Yoryu, sparks flying from his body.

I quickly flicked through all the attacks I knew. I finally settled on one. "Zeus, use Rain of Lightning!"

Zeus paused, the started to glow. A mass of rainclouds started to build up above him. After the clouds had grown to huge sizes, they started swirling around in the air above Zeus. They started swirling faster and faster. After reaching impossible speeds, they emitted a huge amount of wind. I was blown to the ground, as was Nick, Katrina and Hope. Finally, the clouds released Zeus's attack. Huge streams of lightning hit the ground, then started spinning along with the clouds. The clouds had still been swirling around Zeus, but now they moved to hover above Yoryu. Zeus seemed to have been unaffected by the lightning as I passed through him. Now the lightning was narrowing in, getting closer to Yoryu. Finally, they struck. The combination of all the bolts of lightning caused a giant flash of light that blinded me. It took a while for me to see, but, when my vision cleared I saw Yoryu on the ground, knocked out.

I wiped at my eyes, they were still watering from the flash of light. I stared at Yoryu, so did Hope. She returned Yoryu quickly, saying. "I hate having Pokemon this weak. You cheated. You and Rowan. He showed you the strongest Pokemon in the group."

With that, she grabbed the remaining Pokeball from her belt and threw it. I was dreading this moment. What if she had caught that Shaman? Or an even stronger Pokemon?

As the Pokeball bounced on the ground, I started hoping it wasn't too strong. I got my wish. Out of the Pokeball came a Spearow. I heard a shout of laughter from behind me. _That guy laughs WAY too much!_ I thought irritably.

I raised my hand. "Zeus, use Thundershock!"

Zeus did it quickly. Two minutes later, it was on the ground. Hope returned it to its Pokeball, and then ran off.

I quickly drew out my Trainer Card. Before my eyes, the amount of money I had changed from $500 to $1500. She had done some shopping, maybe, but not much. She had spent $1000. Whenever a trainer lost, half of their money went to the opponent.

In this case, that was me.

Zeus floated over to me, looking happy. I quickly pulled a packet of Poke-Treats from my pocket and offered him one. He grabbed it in his mouth and floated up to the nearby tree. He sat, or floated, there, chewing on the treat happily. I dusted off my hands, then turned as I felt a hand clamp onto my shoulder.

"Great job kid." Nick drawled the grin on his face again. "I really liked that Rain of Lightning attack. Very flashy."

"In more ways than one." Katrina stepped up next to Nick. "I've never seen that attack before. And I've gone to every Pokemon League game since I was four!" She looked up at Zeus, who was still munching away on the treat. He flashed a few sparks at her, and then continued eating.

"That's nice. But I gotta go! Mudkip needs to be treated, remember?" I told them. I started looking for Zeus's Pokeball. I finally found it, at the back of my belt.

I held it out as the red beam shot out of the ball and hit Zeus. He transformed into the red energy, and then went into the ball. I placed him on my belt, and then took off. When I looked back, I saw Katrina and Nick looking quizzically after me.

(The Pokemon Centre)

"Can you please heal Artemis and Zeus?' I asked Nurse Joy. She took their pokeballs off me with a frown.

I quietly wondered what was wrong. From the way that Nurse Joy glared at me, I must have done something very wrong.

Hopefully I didn't do anything illegal.

"Why did you take your Nymbis while I was checking on him? By taking him, you interrupted a very delicate computer program upstairs. Bill is livid and he wants to see you. Immediately!" Nurse Joy scolded. She pointed to the staircase which led up to the computer room.

"Bill's here? THE Bill? The Bill that made the computer storage system? The Eevee-fanatic Bill? Bill the Pokemaniac?" I gushed out. Bill was famous in his attempts at making a computer program that you could store Pokemon on. There were three computer programs like that in the world. Bill's program, Lanette, a woman from Hoenn, and Kyle, a man from the Poligem region.

"Yes. He isn't the only one angry. I'm angry too. Lanette and Bill have banded together to create a better computer storage program and they were testing it in this Pokecentre, but you ruined the attempt by getting your Nymbis." Nurse Joy told me. "Now, are you going or not?"

I paled slightly. Bill and Lanette hated each other, so they rarely did anything together. When they did, it was usually something that brought technology to a new level. "I'm going. I'm going, but if I die, I'm blaming you." I replied. I trudged slowly up the stairs. I was most likely going to die a very slow, very painful and very imaginative death.

When I got to the computer lab, I heard yelling.

"Who did that? Whoever they are, they'll pay. I'm gonna rip their guts out, cut their head off and drag their entrails to the top of Sky Pillar."

Sky Pillar was a HUGE tower temple dedicated to Rayquaza, the legendary dragon Pokemon that lives in the atmosphere.

Last time somebody counted, the tower was two miles high.

Someone else joined in the shout. "You realize that this is your fault, don't you? If you hadn't made the program so flimsy, it would be up and running. But no, you insisted it had to be delicate!" This voice was female, and I presume, Lanette's.

The other voice had been male, so it must have been Bill's.

I stopped, wondering if I should go on. I hesitated again, and then stepped into the room. A man in about his twenties wheeled to see me. He stalked over, reminding me of an insulted Persian. A woman in her late teens also headed towards me.

I blinked, and then tried to pretend I was invisible. _I am invisible. If I back out slowly, they won't see me_. Fat chance. I took one step back and was instantly grabbed by Bill and Lanette.

"Were you the one that took a Pokemon while it was being healed with my new machine?" Demanded Lanette. "You wrecked a project that we've been doing for a year! Don't you know you HAVE to go to a Pokemon Centre to pick up a Pokemon safely? It could have just as easily gone to another trainer!"

"Wait. Are you the one you DID take the pokemon?" Asked Bill. When I nodded, he joined in on the lecture.

"Or worse! Your Pokemon could have gone to Team Rocket, Team Fauna or Team Flora!"

Team Rocket, Team Flora and Team Fauna were the three active teams for this region. While everywhere else, Team Rocket had collapsed when Ash Ketchum defeated their leader, Giovanni; it was still going strongly here.

I nodded, wide eyed. They continued to lecture me in that fashion, until I got sick of their hold on me. I teleported behind them.

When they saw me, they frowned.

"Are you finished?" I asked them. The lunged forward again. I stepped backwards and then they were on the floor, staring up at me.

"Lanette, Bill, stop this now!" Said a voice that sounded amused. I looked, and then jumped back again.

Professor Oak, the world's leading authority on Pokemon stood there. So did Professor Elm, the leading researcher of Pokemon Evolution. When I looked around the room, my heart practically stopped. There stood the five leading Professor's of the world. Professors Oak, Elm, Rowan, Birch and Elder!


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

On the road to Arw City

Sam swallowed, his eyes showing a faint glimmer of fear. "Uh oh." He muttered. He started to back up, back into the stairway when he was grabbed by Professor Rowan.

"It's ok. Don't worry, we won't bite. At least, I'm sure Professor Elder and I won't. I can't vouch for the others." He said a reassuring look on his face.

"You gave us quite a scare when the computer started beeping and whirring."

Sam relaxed a bit. "I'd better be all right. By Jirachi, they gave me a scare." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Lanette and Bill, who had gotten up and were dusting themselves off. They gave Sam a wrathful glare, and then started to talk to Professor Oak in quick whispers. He looked doubtful, and then started whispering back.

"Don't worry. I'll vouch for you. Don't you know better than to take pokemon from a P.C with your Pokedex? You can do it, but they haven't perfected the method yet." Professor Rowan said, a frown creasing his forehead. He looked over at Lanette, Bill and Professor Oak. "That can't be good."

Sam looked as well. "Do you mind if I go into hiding? I don't really want to be in the middle of a revenge plot by two computer geniuses."

Without waiting for an answer, he bolted down the stairs.

Behind him, Rowan sighed. "Kids these days, it's all rush, rush, rush. No stopping for anything. That's probably illegal for them." He muttered to himself. He sighed again and turned to Professor Elm. "He's a good kid really, he just doesn't think sometimes. Did I ever tell you about the time he tried to teach a Persian and her kittens to swim?" He asked Professor Elm, conveniently forgetting that he was the one that did that.

Sam rushed down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of the Pokemon Centre counter. "Are they done yet?" He said, looking wildly around, as if he was being haunted by a pack of Gengar, Misdreavus, Duskull and Ectoparus chasing him.

Ectoparus were the ghost pokemon that originated in the Poligem region. They looked like innocent little puppies, until someone turned their back to it. After that, they followed that person until it was caught or the person died.

Nurse Joy looked at him blankly. "I thought they must have killed you, but that's what anyone would think with all those screams rolling down the stairs." She turned to her computer. "Your Nymbis is fine, but Mudkip will need to stay for about an hour. Until then, I'll show you to your room."

She pulled herself out of her chair and grabbed a key off of a hook near the computer.

"You will have room-mates though. All the rooms are filled up. That's what usually happens when our region hosts the Pokemon Trainer Contest. Not to mention that lots of old trainers are flooding into the region, looking for easy pickings."

Sam nodded. _As long as my roommates aren't-_ He thought, and then stopped abruptly. An orange backpack and a yellow backpack were at the foot of each bed. _Why do those two seem to follow me ever-?_

"Hi Kid." Said Nick. He was lying on the bottom bunk of the left hand bed. Katrina was digging through her backpack.

"Are you stalking us or something?"

His Pichu was curled up on his stomach, snoring every so often A few stray sparks rolled off the baby pokemon and jumped up to Nick's hair. While his hair was already straight up, any hairs that had managed to stay done were now going up, one by one.

"No. I think you two are stalking me." Sam said, he slung his backpack up onto the bed above Nick. With care, he slowly took out the Pokemon Egg from his bag. Then he grabbed the egg container he had picked from the Poke-Mart. He placed the egg on the cushioning, and then put the glass lid on it.

Katrina looked up with interest. "Cool. Where'd you get that? What's in it? Is it a dragon type?" She asked, excitement radiating from her.

"I've got an egg too. I got it from my Uncle. It's a Dratini. I love Dragonites. They're really cool and really powerful. It could also carry me when it evolves."

Sam stared at her, unsure as to which question to answer first. "Um, I got it from my big sister. It will either be a Polienix or a Magnetix. And it will be a dragon type if it evolves into a Dracoria." He said. He turned back to the egg. He programmed what type of Pokemon it was into the base of the container. The container then generated the perfect heat for the egg.

Sam stepped back from the incubator. He jumped up on his bed and looked through his pack for 'The Encyclopedia of Johto'.

Once he found it (Right at the bottom) he opened it up, back on his page.

_Name: Miltank_

_Number: #241_

_Type: Milk Cow_

_Element: Normal_

_Height: 3'11"_

_Weight: 166lbs_

_Evolution: Final Evolution_

_Evolved From: Milkalf_

_Attacks: Stomp_

_Recover_

_ Bide_

_Rollout_

_Body Slam_

_Heal Bell_

_Milk Drink_

_Pokedex Information: A Pokemon favored by Whitney leader of Goldenrod gym, it's a tough opponent. During battle, it will make it impossible for the opponent to hurt it by curling into a ball and using Rollout._

_During the Milkalf season, their milk becomes more nutritious. When drunken, their milk can restore Health Points and get rid of exhaustion._

When Sam was about to turn to the next page, a shadow appeared on the book again. Sam looked up. Instead of it being Hope, it was Nick.

"Whatcha doing?"

"What does it look like?" Sam asked irritably. Without waiting for a reply, he turned the page.

After reading half a page, he looked up again. Nick was still staring at him. "WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

Nick jumped back, and then grinned.

"Maybe it's just me, but I thought you'd like to watch an egg hatching." He pointed to Katrina, who still held her egg in her hands. The egg was pulsing, throwing off a white wave of light every couple of seconds. A couple of cracks were on the top of the egg.

Suddenly, a flick of shell came off. Through it, they all saw an eye. It flashed out of sight to be replaced by a tail. It squirmed through the hole, slowly making it wider.

Sam jumped off the bed and grabbed Nick. He pulled Nick into the adjoining bathroom, and then shut the door except for a tiny crack. Sam crouched and Nick stood. Through the crack, they saw the egg throwing off more egg shell. Finally, the shell cracked in half to reveal a Dratini. The unusual thing was that this Dratini was orange!

Sam stared while Nick's mouth fell open. Katrina gaped, and then jumped as the Dratini let out a large yawn. It turned to her, and then twined around her waist.

Sam slowly opened the door, and then stepped into the room. "A shiny Pokemon? How lucky can you get?"

Shiny Pokemon were rarer than normal Pokemon. A LOT rarer. Shiny Pokemon were sought after by Pokemon Collectors. The problem was that not many Pokemon were shiny. This is why people in possession of a shiny Pokemon were in more danger of any criminal teams.

Katrina continued to smile. "I know. My Uncle doesn't even have a shiny Pokemon. His mother does. She has a shiny Healtia." She must have been referring to Nick, because none of Sam's Mother's Pokemon was shiny. Not to his knowledge anyway.

The Dratini continued to circle around Katrina's neck. Dirden, her Frezint looked down from the top of her bed, glaring at the Dratini.

"_Oh great, competition Keep away from her kid. I'm the one guarding her, not you." _Dirden said, fluttering his wiry blue wings.

He blew a small, blue ice flame at Dratini and then curled up to sleep.

The Dratini looked up at where Dirden had been before. "_Daddy?_"

Sam smiled. When a baby Pokemon hatched, the first thing it saw, it instantly thought was it's mother. The second it thought was it's father. It thought that Katrina was its mother, now it either thought that Dirden was its father, if Dirden appeared again.

If he didn't, the next thing Dratini saw definitely WOULD be its father. In his mind of course.

Naturally, with Sam's luck that day, Dratini would look around, and looked right at Sam. Sam backed up, ramming right into Nick who was standing behind Sam. "_Daddy? Daddy!_" Dratini squeaked happily. He started wriggling towards Sam, but didn't know that it couldn't fly. Sam reacted instantly. Just as Dratini was about to hit the ground, it found itself levitating. Sam placed it gently on the bed, and then released it.

"No, I'm not your father." Sam said firmly, before walking out of the room in a half run, half jog.

The Dratini tried wriggling after him, but was instantly grabbed by Katrina.

Dratini struggled to wriggle in the direction that Sam had gone, but Katrina kept a firm hold on it.

"I don't think so. You're staying here young, um." Katrina trailed off.

She looked puzzled, and then pulled out her orange Pokedex. She flicked it open, activated the stats area and pointed it at the Dratini.

_Dratini_

_Lv Five_

**Met**_: Pokemon Centre, Comed Town_

_Male_

_Mischievous nature_

Katrina snapped the Pokedex shut with a smile.

"A boy huh? That might not fit in with my team. Except for you and Dirden. Hey, Dirden?"

Dirden squeaked in agreement.

_Downstairs, Pokecentre, Comed town_

Sam sat down. The chairs were comfy, probably bought for that exact reason. He sighed, and then jumped. His Pokenav had just started ringing. He pressed the button on his Pokenav, and then jumped again as his mother's head was suddenly shown. It was beamed up into view like a hologram.

"Sam! Hi sweetie. How are you?" She paused, looking me over from head to waist. That was all she could see of me. "One day out of my household and you seem nearly dead! How did you manage that? IS THAT A PIERCING I SEE?!?!?!?!" Sam winced, he had forgotten about his ear. But now that he was reminded of it, he noticed that the ache had come back.

"Um, no. It's a sticker. One of the girls at the ceremony decided to put them on everyone. I'd forgotten about it." Sam lied quickly. A little white lie wasn't too bad. Was it? He silently scolded himself. He should have known that his translator would be one of the first things his mother would notice.

His mother leaned in closer. "It looks like a Poketrans to me." Poketrans or Pokemon Translator, they're the same thing however you look at it. "It looks just like the one that Ani's gotten for her pokemon. Hers are purple though, not blue. Are you sure it isn't real?"

"Very sure. My ear would be aching right now if it was. A dull, throbbing ache." Sam said before mentally kicking himself.

He psychically twiddled with the buttons that controlled the reception. "Uh oh Mum, you're breaking up. I'd better go. That phone call must be costing a ton."

"It might be, but I don't care. And stop playing with the buttons. You DID get your ear pierced. Your eyes are also glowing. It doesn't matter anyway. What Pokemon did you choose?" Fiona asked. Sam knew that she was probably plotting how to punish him for getting his ear pierced.

"Er, I chose Mudkip. I also found an Eevee and caught a Nymbis." Sam said, frowning. He hadn't realized that he already had so many Pokemon! And it was his first day! Not to mention he had the Polienix or Magnetix egg in his backpack.

"A Mudkip? Your sister chose a Chikorita. I guess you prefer the water types. How did you manage to find an Eevee? Or a Nymbis? It took your father two years to find one and it's taken you one day! Wait till I tell him!" Fiona said, a grin appearing on her face as she thought of Brett's reaction.

"The Eevee I found when it tried to steal some food from me. It ran away, then when I caught it, I found out she had a broken paw and was poisoned. I think I irritated some Nymbis while chasing Eevee, so, they followed me. Only one found me. I managed to catch it." Sam said, thinking back to the events that day. It had seemed like a month ago, but it was really three hours ago.

"Ok. I've gotta go now before Josh gets back. He's been impossible to live with for the past two days." Fiona said, rubbing her head. Her head suddenly disappeared as she terminated the connection.

Sam rubbed his head as well. "I know what she means." He looked up as Nurse Joy walked into the room. "Hi."

"You look as cheerful as a Cheeron." Joy informed him. "Your Pokemon are healed. Except for Eevee. She wants to see you, actually. Do you want to see her?"

"Uh, ok. Can you take me to her? I haven't got a clue as to where she is." Sam said. He was thinking ahead now. Once he had gotten Eevee back and caught her, a long stay at Professor Rowan's laboratory would be good for her. She needed to relax. After being on the street for a while now, she definitely needed a rest.

"That was I intended to do. I don't want you interrupting another crucial experiment. Or worse. We're operating on a Drakeon in theatre three. The trainer would be heartbroken if her Drakeon were stuck with a cellphone inside of it." Nurse Joy said with a grin.

Sam made a face at her and followed her, accepting Artemis's and Zeus's Pokeballs from her.

The walls of the hospital stayed the same. No matter where they were, they remained a bleached white. _You'd think that they would make the place seem more cheerful. _Sam thought to himself.

They finally reached Diana's room after five minutes of walking. Diana lay on a cot, looking grumpy about her roommate, an unusually large and unusually smelly Gloom.

Sam wrinkled his nose as he walked in. The smell was almost overpowering. Sam turned to Nurse Joy.

"Why is she in the same room as a Gloom?" Sam asked, unintentionally rhyming.

Joy winced as a new wave of smell came towards them. "We didn't have anywhere else, unless she wanted to share a room with a male Arcanine. She said no, so we put her here."

Joy explained, the expression on her face indicated she would have preferred the room with the Arcanine.

Sam winced as well. He put up a hand and created an invisible wall between Diana and the Gloom. He was starting to get a headache from using his powers. Sam reached over and flicked on the air conditioning. Within minutes, the air was breathable.

"_THNAK YOU!!! That Gloom was about to find a vase in its head._" Said Diana. She flicked her brown tail, her broken paw in a splint. Her brown and white coat looked better now. It had been brushed by someone, before it had been tangled and rubbish had littered it.

Sam smiled. "Aren't you glad I found you then?" He asked her. Diana's response was to twitch her ear, which accompanied a '_What drugs are you on?'_ look. That was obviously due to the remnants of Gloom's smell.

Sam sat down beside her, in the chair that was beside the bed. He reached out slowly, and then stroked Diana's back. Then he scratched beneath her chin.

Diana purred in response. While classified as a canine type, Eevee could also purr.

"So, how do you feel? Better? Less hungry?" As if in response, a Blissey walked into the room with a plate of food. The Blissey placed it in Sam's lap, and then walked out. Sam rolled his eyes.

_So much for the hospital treatment_. He thought to himself.

With a sigh, he picked up an apple. He placed it in front of Diana, just in reach of her.

She reached forward and bit it with her mouth. She dragged it closer to her, and then took a bite.

"So, I was thinking of taking you on my journey. If you wanted to, that is." Said Sam. "But you'd need to rest up in Professor Rowan's lab. After that, we'd be going to defeat the Diamond league."

Diana listened quietly, and then said, "_You won't leave me, will you? Or forget about me._" She looked down, a mournful expression on her face.

Sam leaned forward. "No, I'd never do that. I've seen how abandoned Pokemon look. You're lucky that I found you now. Others don't get found for years, during which they start hating humans more and more. I can see why."

Diana smiled slightly. "Ok_, but if you forget about me, I'll evolve into a Heleon and find you._"

Heleon were the Light evolution of Eevee. Thought of as the servants of Mew, they were thought to bring great luck. The problem was, to evolve an Eevee into a Heleon; you'd need to find a piece of Dawn Stone, a stone so rare it was practically a myth.

If you also fell into the bad books of a Heleon, you'd need to be lucky and have an Umbreon, or you'd pretty much be dead from the bad luck you were given. Umbreon released spores that counter the power of Heleons.

Sam smiled. "I won't do it. I promise. I'm already shaking in my shoes." He wasn't really, it just sounded good. And it might get Eevee in a good mood again.

_**There you walk, proud and free, reaching out like you're needing me**_

_**A helping hand, to make it right, I'm holding you all through the night**_

**_I'll be the one,_**

_**Who'll make all your sorrows to right; I'll be the light,**_

_**When you feel like there's nowhere to run, I'll be the one**_

_**To hold you, and make sure that you'll be all right**_

_**I'll keep you warm, and I want to, take you from darkness to light**_

_**I'll be the one**_

9:00 pm, Pokecentre 

Sam lay back on his bed, his arms folded beneath his head as he rested on them. Artemis was lying next to him while Zeus was floating above his bed. The newly named Drake the Dratini was curled up next to Sam's head. Drake had managed to climb up to the bed using his newly discover Bite attack. The wooden bed now had bite marks all the way up it. Every time Drake inhaled, his orange scales glittered in the light. A small wheezing noise came from across the room, where Dirden had claimed the other bunk bed.

From beneath him, a small "_Piiiiii_." Showed that Sparx the Pichu was sleeping. An occasional lightning bolt played across the floor.

Gentle, so that he wouldn't disturb the Pokemon, he got up and then got down from the bed. Once he was safe from the revenge of newly awoken Pokemon, he started being naturally noisy.

He walked into the Games room of the Pokemon centre. With a quick look, he headed towards the left corner of the room where two other people were sitting, playing a Gameboy. He swiped his trainer card into the E-reader of one of the spare Gameboys, and then turned it on, a link cable trailing from the game to a socket in the wall. The progress he made on any game would be saved on his Trainer Card, so that he could play them later from where he left off.

With a sigh, he brought out his Pokemon Sapphire cartridge that he owned. He removed the E-reader and placed it in the Gameboy. A few selections and his progress was saved on his Card. He continued to do the same thing to his Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, LeafGreen, FireRed and Emerald Pokemon games.

After that, he started playing.

Half an hour later, he walked away from the Game Corner, happy because he now had a Jirachi on his Sapphire version. And he only had to trade his Milotic for it!

In the opposite corner of the Game Room, was a Nintendo 64 and a Gamecube, both of which had Pokemon games in them. Other games were also there, but Pokemon were the ones mainly played.

At the opposite end of the Game Room were card tables, where people could play the Trading Card game. A pen had also been set up so that people could play with Pokemon marbles.

In the final corner were seats, plenty of them, and CD players.

Sam strayed out of the room, heading for the next room along. In this one was a trading machine. While people could trade pokemon by simply swapping Pokeballs, Pokemon stats would show that it didn't belong to you, so if you were getting checked on by a Nurse Jenny, you were in trouble. Swapping using the machine made the Pokemon legally yours.

Sam sighed; he didn't want to trade any Pokemon right now. He continued on to the next room. This room was the phone room; Sam had already been here, so he didn't need to go in. He passed right on. The final room was the Conference Room, people gather here to talk, trade tips and things like that.

Except for right now, there seemed to be a shouting match going on between two people, one being Nick. Sam walked through the door and stopped. Nick was red in the face, yelling at the person that Sam remembered as Kai.

"YOU'RE AS STUPID AS A PSYDUCK AFTER ITS HAD ITS HEAD CUT OFF!" Yelled Nick, his face a deep red colour.

"YOU'RE SO FAT THAT A SNORLAX TOLD YOU TO GO ON A DIET!" Kai yelled back, his face as red as Nicks.

"AND YOU ARE AS UGLY AS A SNORLAX IS AFTER ITS BEEN HIT BY THE MAGNET TRAIN!" Nick was going purple now.

"AND YOU'RE SO FAT THAT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SMUGGLING A BLISSEY!" Kai was still red, but was starting to go slightly purple.

"YOU'RE SO BIG-HEADED THAT THEY HAD TO BAPTIZE YOU AT THE CERULEAN GYM!" That stirred up a bit of laughter from the crowd.

"YOU'RE SO FAT THAT YOU'VE RECENTLY BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A HABITAT FOR PIDGEOT!" That one set everyone laughing. Not Sam though, he had seen enough fights at school to know what they could do.

That one set Nick off. With a roar of fury, he picked Kai right off of his feet and threw him at the door, and right at Sam. Sam blinked, in a choice of a split second, he cushioned Kai's fall by trapping him within a Psychic Bubble. This also caused a roaring to start in Sam's ears. He had used up all his Psychic Powers for that day. With a sigh, he slipped into darkness.

10:30 am, 17th of Echotrance, 2004 A.P.W 

Sam blinked his eyes, and then shut them again immediately. The searing lights above him blinded him.

Suddenly he gasped and sat up, his head connecting with Nick's.

"OOWWWWWW!" Sam complained. The lights hurt his eyes, now Nick had hurt his head.

Nick grinned. "Took you long enough. You had me worried Kid, I thought Kai had knocked you out or something. Which reminds me, I hope you've got enough strength today, Kai's still locked in that bubble of yours. They've tried everything to pop it."

Sam felt a surge of pride at that. "My name is Sam, and who are they?"

Before Nick could answer however, Artemis jumped into Sam's lap. Zeus floated into the room, Drake perched on top of him.

"_Daddy!_" Yelled Drake happily, he bounced on top of Zeus, causing rain to fall out of Zeus with each bounce. "_Daddy, daddy, daddy, where's Mummy?_"

Sam blinked, and then groaned. He sank back on to his bed. He had forgotten about Drake.

"I'm not your father, and I haven't got a clue where Katrina is. Now stop irritating me." Sam said, sounding tired. He had a migraine, an award for knocking heads with Nick.

As if she had heard her name, Katrina wandered into the room.

"He wanted you, anytime you're not in his sight he starts sulking. After that he starts crying. Do you know how loud he is when he's crying?" Katrina said, shooting a glare at Drake. "I haven't had a bit of sleep all night."

Suddenly Diana bounded into the room, her paw clacking on the floor as she walked on a brace.

Pokemon can heal faster than humans, but they can't heal THAT quickly.

Sam stared at Diana curiously. "How come you're up and about?"

Diana leapt up on the bed. "I had a milkshake thing. It had the egg of Joyce mixed in it. Joyce is the Center's Healtia." She said, explaining it to Sam. "Nurse Joy said she'd bring in a milkshake for you when you wake up."

Sam smiled and sank back into his pillows. He would definitely need that particular sort of milkshake. Healtia eggs could almost raise the dead.

Nurse Joy appeared in the room, carrying the milkshake. Nick was behind her, bouncing Sam's bubble into the room. Tai followed Nick, distressed at his brother's predicament.

The bubble was a deep, pure hue of sapphire blue. Sam grinned, now he knew why he loved blue so much. If you ever got strong enough to create a psychic bubble, it would show you what colour your power was. And most of the time, a person's favorite colour was the same as their power.

Psychic colors also seemed to indicate the area which a person was most skilled at. Red meant that you were really good at psychic attacks, green meant you were good at reading peoples minds, blue meant you were good at transport, levitating and teleporting, purple meant that it was mind attacks you were best at, orange meant you found moving thing around easiest and rainbow meant you were skilled at all of them.

Nurse Joy smiled. "A levitator are you? Aren't you lucky? Most people would give all of their teeth to levitate." She placed a large, metal cup beside his bed. Then she placed three small bottles beside that. "Vanilla, Strawberry or chocolate?"

"Vanilla please." Sam said. He stroked Diana's back, and then scratched Artemis beneath the chin. Zeus floated down, his load bouncing higher and higher, making Zeus going lower and lower. Sam reached up and grabbed Drake, and then patted Zeus.

Drake wriggled in delight, he wrapped around Sam's hands, and then slid on to his chest. With a sigh, he curled up.

Sam smiled wryly, and then accepted the milkshake from Nurse Joy. He took a sip from the straw, and then his eyes lit up. Within a minute, the drink was gone.

Sam now had a stupid grin on his face. "So, when am I allowed out?"

"Now if you want. But you'll need to release Kai here first. Otherwise he won't be able to go on his journey." Nurse Joy said. Sam looked past her, Kai didn't look too worried. In fact, if Sam couldn't do it, it seemed he would be happy to stay there for the rest of his life.

Sam flicked his fingers, concentrating on the bubble, willing it to open. A small slit appeared in the side, and then the bubble disappeared entirely.

Sam sat back, tired. Suddenly a wave of energy flooded him as the Healtia egg milkshake started working.

"Ok, let's go!"

11:45 am, Outskirts of Comed Town, Dictioy 

Sam marched along, in a bad mood. Because of Drake, Katrina had to go along with Sam. That also meant that Nick was coming too.

Artemis was lazing on top of Sam's backpack, watching the scenery go by, occasionally shooting down any Jorei, a small, flying parrot type Pokemon that were stupid enough to have stayed nearby.

Jorei looked like Pidgey, except they had longer wing and longer beaks. And instead of brown, they were a brilliant collage of colors. And instead of three toes on each foot, they had five.

Dirden was perched on top of Katrina's head. He fluttered his wings at any person or pokemon that got too close.

Nick walked along, his usual grin on his face. Sparx was sitting on his shoulder.

Katrina jogged up to Nick; she had to take three steps to his one. "So, where are we headed?"

She asked, panting at the effort of jogging. When she traveled, she either went by vehicle or flew on one of her uncle's dragon types.

"We're heading for Arw City. The Gym there is fire, so Sam'll have an easy time because of Artemis and Zeus. How come he gets a Nymbis? I've wanted one for ages and he gets one on his first day. What do I get? A small Caterpie." Nick complained. After Sam had rushed to the Pokecenter, Nick had started looking for the Caterpie that had sprayed Sam.

"Leave it alone, it's not its fault that it's small. Anyway, it will evolve soon. And then it'll evolve soon after that." Katrina said in between gasps. She was REALLY out of shape. _That's what I get for sitting at home all day, watching Poke-T.V._ She thought to herself.

**_Are you two going to hurry up or am I gonna have to come back there and make you hurry?_** A voice broke into their minds, making them gasp.

**_I'm coming, don't rush me._** Katrina thought back furiously.

**_Well hurry up. I'll rush you if I want to. _**Sam retorted. With a snap, he broke off the connection.

Katrina scowled at Nick. "Isn't there a law against intruding into other people's minds?"

"I don't know. If there isn't, there should be. Imagine what Sabrina could have done a few years ago." He was referring to a few years ago, when Sabrina had almost gotten total control of Saffron City. She was stopped by Silph Co and the Elite Four. That was when Silph Co had invented the Telepathic Wave Translators, or TWT. It was finally Will, the newest member of the Elite Four at the time that had stopped her. He was a Psychic Trainer too, though nowhere near as powerful as Sabrina. He had needed five TWT's in the end to defeat her.

Katrina shuddered; she had been in the Elite Palace, visiting her uncle when a messenger Pidgeot had smashed through the window to deliver a message. Messages where ranked according to their urgency. Pidgey, a simple message. Pidgeotto, a summons or a slightly urgent message. Pidgeot were reserved for true emergencies.

**_Do you want me to trap YOU in a bubble? If you don't, HURRY UP!!!_** Roared Sam's voice in their minds. With a squeak, Katrina ran towards him, Nick followed close behind her.

When they had caught up to Sam, he gave them a scowl. "This is why I like being by myself."

Katrina pulled a face. "Ok, fall off a cliff and see how much you like being alone then."

Sam rolled his eyes and continued walking.

They walked in silence for a few hours; the only noises were Pokemon and the wind.

A sudden ringing broke the silence, making them all jump. Sam looked around, and then realized that the Poke-Nav around his neck was vibrating. He pulled it off of its cord and activated the Phone option. With a flash of light, Ani's head appeared.

"Hi Sam! How're you doing? Did you get your ear pierced?!?" This wasn't an angry question. That was a humorous question that Ani asked with a smirk on her face. She had been waiting for years for the day that Sam would do something exciting, like dye his hair or get a piercing.

Sam sighed, she had been wanting him to get is ear pierced for years. There would be no living with her now. "Yeah, I guess you talked to Mum about it?" He asked wearily.

Ani was as stubborn as he was, but they looked nothing alike. The only way that they were alike was by the fact that there was a mole in the exact place on their necks. Apart from that, Ani had mouse brown hair, blue eyes and a cocky grin was always on her face. Her eyes leaned towards aqua, because she had green flecks in them. Sam's eyes were an icy blue.

She was also shorter than Sam, which was no surprise since most of the females in their family were smaller than he was. To stir them up, he'd usually refer to them as the 'Seven Dwarfs".

Ani nodded. Suddenly she moved aside to reveal her Anticairon, who was looking worried.

"_How's my baby?_" She asked, sounding more worried than she looked. Sam moved under the shade of a nearby tree and placed his pack down. He reached in and pulled out the Egg Capsule and then put it in the line of sight of Anticairon. She looked a bit more relaxed.

"_Good, you do know how to take care of eggs. If you were carry it, I'd be flying over right now and taking it off you!_"

Sam smiled. "Well, it's a good thing I'm more responsible at 13 than Ani is. Did I ever tell you about the time she was in Kyeema, in the Metone region? She-!" Sam was suddenly interrupted by Ani, who suddenly appeared again.

"Yes, well, anyway. That was three years ago. And I didn't burn that much of the bushland." She trailed off, muttering the last sentence. "Anyway, we've got to go. See you soon Sam!"

With a small, electronic beep, she flicked off her Poke-Nav.

Sam frowned. "What did she mean, 'see you soon'?" He asked himself. Then he shrugged. "Doesn't matter, let's go!" He looked around, and saw Nick and Katrina far up the road.

"**GET BACK HERE!!!**"

Pokedex

Jorei

Parrot Pokemon

Flying / Normal

Evolves at lv 16 to Joranitai

_This tiny parrot pokemon is very popular as a household pet, due to its ability to learn to copy phrases constantly repeated to it. It is very intelligent and has been known to wake up a household's occupants in the case of a burglary or a fire._

Heleon

Light Dog Pokemon

Light / Holy

Evolved from Eevee

_This legendary dog of light isn't as rare as the Legendary Dogs of Johto, but just as elusive. It has the ability to bestow Good Luck on those who deserve it and Bad Luck on those who don't. It can only be captured by a trainer who was not done anything bad._

Drakeon

Dragon Dog Pokemon

Dragon

Evolved from Eevee

_A tale of old states that Drakeon's posses great attack power, sometimes destroying whole cities. That legend makes it a favorite of Pokemon Trainers who prefer brawn over brains. A rare pokemon, it is a worthy addition to any pokemon collection._

Milkalf

Calf Pokemon

Normal

Evolves to Miltank /w/ love

_A small pokemon prized by farmers, it is the pre-evolved form of Miltank. The small horns on a Milkalf's head are made of the purest silver, which means they are very soft. At about six weeks, the old horns drop out and are replaced by ivory ones._

Ectoparus

Baby Kraken Pokemon

Ghost / Water

(None)

_A pokemon dreaded by sailors, it has long been feared because it can pass through ship's hulls. While they don't have the size of a Kraken, many band together in the colder parts of the year and make an entirely new pokemon altogether. The ending result is a pokemon that is truly the Kraken pokemon._

Healtia

Miracle Pokemon

Normal / Holy

Evolved from Blissey

_Know by many because it evolves from the popular Chansey, it is respected by Humans and Pokemon alike. Its eggs carry a miraculous healing power that can bring anything back from the brink of death. A drink made by its egg is one of two known antidotes to the pokemon, Finetite. _


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Strange Happenings on the Fields of Sorrow

Nick's Point of View

I walked along; Sam was ahead, sulking because Katrina and I had gotten ahead of him before. We had done it just to spite him, because of what he had told us in our minds.

I looked at Katrina and rolled my eyes. Sam seemed like the sort of guy that took everything personally.

Artemis was trailing behind Sam. After Katrina had chased him up a tree after he squirted a Jorei that had landed on her head (Squirting her at the same time), he had stopped dousing everything. The way Artemis was going, Dictioy wouldn't be having any fires for a few decades.

"We'll stop soon. It's starting to get dark." Sam said shortly. I looked around. There weren't many trees, so if it rained, we'd get wet.

Katrina suddenly stopped, she looked worried.

"We're not camping here are we?" She asked, sounding worried. She had her Poke-Nav out and was looking around as if the closest rocks were about to take a bite out of her.

Curious, I took out my Poke-Nav. I activated the map option, and then burst out laughing.

"The Field of Sorrow? Who thought up that name?" I asked, laughing every few words.

**_The Fields of Sorrow were named because a man was attacked here by a Dark type pokemon. The pokemon distracted the man while he was out riding his Blizzardash; they ran off a cliff that's nearby. The dark pokemon was a Murkrow, which is why people think they're unlucky. The worst part was that the man was emperor of Dictioy. He was so loved by the people of Dictioy that everyone in Dictioy journeyed here to mourn for him. He's got a tombstone further up the road. _**Sam said in my mind.

I frowned. "Can you quit doing that?" I yelled ahead

**_But it would mean that I would have to come back there. Why waste more calories than I need to?_** Sam thought back at me. I scowled back at him. He was getting further and further ahead, because I had needed to pick Katrina up because she absolutely refused to go any further. Even now she was squirming.

I pulled a face at his retreating back. **_I do know what you're doing you know._**

I winced and made a mental note not to think anything personnel while he was around.

_**I heard that too.**_

I rolled my eyes and ran to catch up. By the time we had gotten to him, he was getting out a sleeping bag from his backpack. After that, he dug deeper into his bag. After his bag devoured his arm, then his shoulder, then his head, I walked over to him. I pulled at his arm, which pulled the bag off the ground. I stared over my shoulder at Katrina who shrugged. Somehow he got his other shoulder and arm into the bag as well. I shook my head and went off to gather firewood.

When I got back, I saw that Sam had gotten out of the bag. He had also let Zeus out. When I saw the cans off Poke-Chow by Sam, I understood why he had been in his bag.

I arranged the wood in a circle, and then reached for some nearby stones. I arranged them in a circle and set some of the logs in it.

"Sparx!!!" I called over my shoulder. Sparx skipped over, giggling as usual.

"Sparx, can you use Spark?" I asked him. He giggled, and then nodded. A few slight sparks flew out of his cheeks, and then a small stream of electricity came out of him and bounced over the fire. "Uh, can you try that again?"

A small rustle nearby made me look. All of a sudden, a Chicken jumped out of the bush.

A million years ago, Pokemon were originally things called animals, since then, the animals evolved. The only one that didn't change much was the chicken. In appearance, nothing happened. The only thing that did change with the chicken was that it learnt to blow fire.

I turned to Sparx. "Headbutt it." I told him.

Sparx gave me a death glare that obviously said, "_You're kidding, right?_" With a sigh, he ran towards the Chicken and knocked it over. The Chicken gave a squawk. It had been knocked off balanced. It fell on its side and lay there, kicking its legs and squawked louder. It didn't do anything to get up. I sighed and rolled a Pokeball along the ground towards it. It rolled and bounced softly off of it. With a slurping noise, it got transformed into red energy and sucked into the Pokeball. It didn't even wobble once. With a small 'ping', it was caught.

I looked over at Katrina, she raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel proud? You just caught the hardest Pokemon to ever be caught. It was so smart; I'm surprised Sparx even managed to hit it." She said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

A small spark flew past me to shock Katrina. Her blonde hair struggled to rise out from under beanie. I looked at Sparx. "Did you do that?"

He nodded, looking proud of himself. I crawled over to Chicken's pokeball. I stared at it.

"As soon as we get to another Pokemon Centre, you're going straight to Professor Oak's lab." I told it.

A few hours later, Katrina was sulking. Zeus was floating over her, about to release his current load of rain. Nymbis had the habit of following ill-tempered people home and raining on them. That's from experience. Not my experience, my sister's. When I had gotten the letter back, my sister raged around for ages. One time she came back to the Elite Tower soaking wet because she had met a group of Nymbis and a few of its evolved form, Cumbulos.

I laughed myself silly, she started crying.

All of a sudden, Zeus released his load. Katrina leapt up, her head going through Zeus. She tried punching him, but her fists went right through him. Zeus was grinning to himself. Suddenly Katrina was on the ground, twitching as electrical shocks ran through her.

Sam got up from where he had been staring drowsily into the fire. He bent over Katrina.

"You know, if you didn't wear all those chains and other metal stuff, you wouldn't get hurt so badly by electricity."

Katrina growled and swatted at him. Since she only reached up to half the distance between them, Sam wasn't hurt. With a grin, Sam returned to where he was before. Except he wriggled into his sleeping bag. "Goodnight."

"Night." I said. Katrina just growled in return.

Zeus flew up into the sky, getting some more electricity from thunderclouds and some water.

With a sigh, I dragged out my red sleeping bag. Just as I got into it, I heard a snoring noise. I looked over in the direction off it and saw Artemis spraying a few drops of water onto the ground. Every time he snored, some more water came out. I looked at Sam and smiled. He was also snoring slightly, but was levitating. I picked up a small pebble and threw it under him. It rolled to a stop, right under him. I shook my head. I turned over and looked at Katrina. She was lying down, looking at the sky. She (somehow) knew all the constellations. In the Northern Hemisphere, you could see the Onix, the Lugia and the Sagitar, a centaur-like pokemon.

In the Southern Hemisphere, you could see the Squirtle, the Metapod and the Togepi. Since we were in the Northern, the Onix was visible.

I stared up at the night sky, picking out vaguely memorized constellations. Dugtrio, Pinsir, Kingler, each jumped out at me as I stared up at them.

18th of Echotrance, 2004 A.P.W 

Suddenly, it was dawn. With a yawn, I jumped up. My father, Koga of the Elite Four of Kanto, used to make me get up at the crack of dawn so that I could train. Eventually, it became a habit to wake up at dawn.

I yawned again and reached for Chicken's pokeball. I fumbled with it and dropped it to the ground. With a flash, Chicken came out. It looked at me blearily, wondering why I had woken it up.

"Chicken, use Ember." I said with another yawn. With a puff of fire, he little the remaining coals in the fireplace. I tossed a few logs of wood onto the fire, and then poked it with a stick to get it up. It flared up as a log caught. I quickly got changed behind the bush that Chicken had jumped out of.

All of a sudden, there was a huge, "CUCKOOO!!!!!!"

"AAUGH!!" Yelled Katrina from behind me. Silently, I swore. She was an Ursaring in the morning. A particularly cranky and rabid Ursaring. "ISN'T THERE SUCH A THING AS A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP?" I smiled. She hadn't slept a wink the previous night because of Drake. Come to think of it, nor had I.

I quickly returned Chicken and grinned as Sam put his head up, blink in the sleep out of his eyes. "Wagtastat?" He asked sleepily. He put his head down again. At the same time, his hold on levitating slipped. With a crash, he landed on the ground.

I laughed. Something told me that I'd enjoy this journey if Sam and Katrina kept me amused.

Katrina looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot. "I'm never going to stay up all night looking for a new constellation ever again." She said.

Sam gave her a queer look. "Why would you want to?" He asked.

**_Oh, I really need to sleep better._** His voice suddenly came through our minds. We both jumped and glared at him.

"Can you quit doing that?" I said irritably. "I should report you. There is a law that says everyone deserves some privacy." By the blank look on Sam's face, he didn't understand. I sighed.

"You spoke in our minds again."

Sam still had the blank look. "I did?" He asked, sounding surprised. He shook his head.

"I must have, for you to mention it." He yawned. Then blinked.

"Why is there an egg on the ground?"

Katrina and I both looked at the same time. There it was, sitting next to the fire, an ordinary, household, refrigerator chicken's egg.

I looked at Katrina's blank face and laughed. "Come on, get ready," I said. "Who wants an omelette?"

9:00 am, The Fields of Sorrow 

Katrina's Point of View

I looked around nervously. I still didn't like the name of the fields around us. Plus I had read some ghost stories that were set here.

Nick caught my eye. He grinned. I sometimes thought that he had to be part pokemon, to smile that much without it hurting.

My attention was drawn to my magnetic belt, where Drake's Pokeball was shaking. With a sigh, I knew I'd regret this later, I pressed the release button.

A flash of red light, and Drake appeared on the ground. "_Drat! Dratini! Tini, tini, drat!_"

I blinked. "Sam!" I called. He peered over his shoulder and around Artemis.

When he saw Drake in front of me, he stopped. He walked back.

"What is it?" He asked, looking cross. I quickly explained to him, that Drake had been trying to tell me something. Sam frowned, and then opened his mouth. "_Drati, drat-drat, tini, drat, tin-drat?"_

I stared. It seems the translators did more than just translate Pokemon talk.

Drake replied, saying what he had said before. Sam nodded, and then looked at me. "He said 'Mummy, look what I can do!' Ok, are we done?" Without waiting for an answer, he ran up to Nick.

I bent down. "What do you want to show me?"

Drake opened his mouth. A golden wave of light spilt out, surrounding me. Suddenly, I couldn't move. I tipped over, unable to keep my balance.

Drake looked shocked. "_DRAT! TINI-DRAT, DRATINI!!"_ He shouted.

Up further, Sam stopped and looked back again, when he saw me lying on the ground, he ran back. As soon as he got to me, he knelt down.

He frowned, and then turned to Drake. "_Dratin, drati, dratini?_"He asked Drake.

Drake started crying, tears came out of his large, blue eyes.

"_Drati, dratin, dratinidrat!_" He said, tears started dotting the ground. Sam started grinning.

**_You've been paralyzed. Just a sec, I've got Paralyze Heal in my bag._** He pulled his bag pack off of his back. Artemis jumped off and started comforting Drake.

With a triumphant 'Ah ha!' Sam pulled out of his bag a yellow bottle. Gently, I felt my mouth open as Sam opened the lid. Sam poured the liquid in the bottle into my mouth. It ran down my throat. I felt my throat unstiffen so I could swallow. I did so, very quickly. A few minutes later, as my blood circulated the liquid around my body, I sat up.

"Thanks." I said, rubbing my jaw. "How'd you get my mouth to open? Wait, don't answer that, I already know."

I turned to Drake. "Hey, it's ok. I'm not angry."

Drake looked at me, worry in his eyes. A few more tears oozed down his face.

_Oh great, I've got a cry baby for a Dratini._ It would be sorta funny if it remained the same when it was a Dragonite. But kinda pathetic too.

**_Are you coming or what? I'm not going to wait for you. Now hurry up or I'll teleport to Arw City._** Sam said from ahead. I scowled in his general direction.

I got up and started in his general direction. Drake squirmed after, so I picked him up.

I looked ahead and sighed. It would take me fifteen minutes to reach them. If I ran. Ok, I'm short, get over it.

Suddenly, a blue bubble appeared around me. With a bounce, it went in the direction that Sam was. A few minutes later, I landed in front of Sam and Nick. Sam had a frown on his face while Nick was smirking.

"Why'd you do that? I could have gotten here myself you know."

"I know you could have. In about a year or so." Sam said, raising his eyebrow. Suddenly he relaxed. He narrowed his eyes. With a pop, the bubble disappeared.

I fell on the ground. I winced; I had landed on a rock.

Nick looked at Sam. "That was faster than before."

Sam looked tired. He reached down his shirt and pulled out a chain necklace, at the end was a strange device. Sam flicked it open, inside were some buttons. Sam pressed one, and then shut the thing.

"What was that?" Asked Nick. Sam was about to shove it back down his shirt, but stopped. He opened it again and showed it to us. All that there was inside of it were three buttons and a knob. The knob was only halfway up.

"It's a Telepathic Wave Translator. It can give you psychic powers, or enhance them if you've got them already. In my case, they enhance them." Sam explained. He shut it again and yanked it off the chain. He handed it to Nick. Nick looked it over, and then attacked it to the necklace he also had. Nick's was only leather though.

"Wait, I can feel something coming. Yeah, there's something. Here it goes!" Nick exclaimed.

BWAAAARP!

I staggered back, and then raced down the road. Trust me, Nick could get really bad.

Sam wrinkled his nose, he lunged forward and pulled the TWT off of Nick's necklace and ran after me.

In twenty seconds he had caught up to me.

"That was the single, most foul, disgusting, evil thing I have ever smelt in my life." Sam said, gasping.

"You're telling me. Try having him sleep over. It really builds up. I've gotten gassed out on lots of occasions. Out of my room at the Elite Tower. And out of his room. And before you say anything, you're disgusting for thinking that way." I said, panting as well.

"I wasn't thinking that way at all. Let's go before he can get up." Sam looked over his shoulder. Nick was rolling on the ground, laughing his head off. From the looks of it, Nick had found the whole thing hilarious.

"Good idea. Next time he wants to use your TWT, don't let him. Come to think of it, why didn't it work for him?" I asked. She started walking away from Nick, who was still on the ground.

"Well, you do need to train your mind in a certain way. You've also gotta think in a different way too. Not to mention some other things. Anyway, he's been brought up to fight, not think." Sam explained. He started walking as well.

"Actually, I wouldn't say that. His mother was the one who invented that." Katrina said, nodding at Sam's translator. "And she's one of the most successful doctors of this century. Not to mention she has TWO Healita's!" I said, smirking at the look on Sam's face. "He didn't start with only $3000 you know; his mother transferred another $100000 to his account!"

Sam's jaw dropped. "What!?!? You're joking right? How come he hasn't gotten any new stuff then?" The idea of a guy have 1/10 of a million was astounding. Suddenly he smiled.

"How would he feel if he lost a battle?"

I grinned. "Um, seeing as he's the new Scrooge McGolduck, he'd take it very badly."

Scrooge McGolduck was a character from an old cartoon. He loved his money so much, he lived a miserly life. And every villain in town tried stealing his money.

"Really? He doesn't seem the type to hoard money. More like spend it at any chance." Looking back again, Sam saw Nick was over his hysterics and jogging towards them. A sudden gust of wind bowled Nick over. Katrina looked over too, just as she was blown off her feet. As her head hit rock, Katrina saw darkness.

Elsewhere, the Fields of Sorrow 

Sam's point of view

I opened my eyes, and then shut them again. After he opened them again, he concluded that it was dark. When he tried sitting up, he suddenly jolted back. He was tied back. On further inspection, his hands were tied as well. So were his feet.

"Kat? Nick?" He said, hoping they were nearby. A moan came to his right. Another one came from behind him.

Casting out his mind, he slowly began to shape out where he was. It was a room, with bars on the door and windows. Katrina and Nick were on chairs, so were nine other people. Tai and Kai were there, so was Brandon, the boy who had chosen Liktretch, Amy (Qizret), the guy who had came fourth (Hekark), the girl that came fifth (Senvar) and unfortunately, Hope. The last one was a boy with silvery-white hair.

"Where are we?" I asked. My translator was gone, but my TWT wasn't. It seems they missed it.

Whoever 'they' were. Zeus was still in his Pokeball on my belt, so was Nick's Chicken and Caterpie. Drogan was in his Pokeball as well. That meant that Sparx, Artemis and Drake were gone.

Whoever had gotten us hadn't counted on us having any new Pokemon yet. So, I'd need to show them where they went wrong.

"We're in the Monarch's Tombstone, the memorial for the Emperor that died here." Said the silver-hair boy. I quickly scanned the room again with my mind. The only other person with psychic powers was the girl with Senvar. She also had a TWT.

I shook my head. Whoever did this, did it badly.

**_Don't jump._** I opened a connection between our minds. I needed to be careful; she was stronger than I was. If I WASN'T careful, she'd flood my mind with her powers and wipe it blanker than a Psyduck's face.

Her face appeared in my mind, framed in orange. She was best at moving things with her mind.

**_Hi, I didn't know you were psychic. _**She said, sounding curious. **_What do you want?_**

I winced slightly. What was the most obvious thing that I'd want her for right now? Anyone, anyone at all! You! Psyduck in the corner!

**_Um, don't suppose you can help me here, could you? If you untie me, I'll be able to do something. Then, if I untie you, we'd all be able to get out of here._** I said, explaining the whole thing to her.

**_Err, ok. But I don't know what you could do; all you can do is teleport and levitate. That doesn't seem to of much use here. _**She said, frowning in my minds eye. I bit my lip. There were plenty of things I could do!

**_Wait; do you know why they caught us?_** I asked her, thinking of all the reasons why they would. It would most likely be because we were weak, since we started yesterday. Not to mention we had all received rare pokemon.

**_Yeah, they wanted our pokemon to send to their leader. It was a strange team. They had beige colored shirts and white pants. And the shirts had a big 'F' on the front. _**She replied. **_That would mean it was Team Fauna._**

Team Fauna were a strange team. Instead of capturing pokemon, they stole them from others, and then set them free. They only used plant pokemon, because of their classification. They wanted every other pokemon type in the world to be free. But, in order for them to live peacefully, they wanted the human race to die out.

Team Flora was the opposing team to Fauna. They released all plant pokemon and captured the other types. So, they usually stole from each other, which usually kept them out of everyone else's business. But sometimes they stole other people's pokemon.

I sighed. **_Can you please untie me before they get our other pokemon? _**I asked her gently. I was getting tired of our conversation.

**_Ok, here you go._** She said. Suddenly, the ropes around my ankles and wrists fell off. I quickly rubbed the feeling back into my wrists and feet. I stood up and stumbled slightly.

I grabbed Zeus's pokeball from my belt, and then grabbed Drogan's from Kat's belt.

"It's me." I whispered to her. She nodded, her blonde and purple hair flicking everywhere. I made a mental note to ask her how she got purple hair.

I dashed over to Nick and grabbed Chicken's and Caterpie's pokeball. He looked up. With a sudden wrist movement, he snapped his wrist ropes and grabbed my arms with one hand. He tore off his blindfold and was about to punch me in the gut when he saw who it was.

"Oh, sorry Sam. Didn't know it was you. Thought it was someone getting my other pokemon. Not that I'd miss Chicken." Nick said his goofy grin in place on his face.

I blinked. "No problem, "I squeaked. "Reckon you could let me go now? And why didn't you do that before?" _It would have saved a lot of trouble._ Sam thought irritably. He had talked to that girl for nothing!

Nick shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't feel like it. Well, I really wanted to hurt one of the guys that got us. Now, where are they?" He dropped my arms instantly and looked around, as if he hoped for a sign that said "Fauna Mess-Hall" or something like that.

I shook my head. I quickly teleported out of the cell and then levitated the latch of the door. It swung open noiselessly. That is, until it hit the wall.

I winced, that was a noise we didn't need. I released Zeus and Drogan just a guard dashed down a set of stairs to my right.

"Why you little-!" He snarled before he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Unconscious because Nick's fist had 'accidentally-on-purpose-'met with his nose.

I winced, that looked like it hurt.

"Are we going or not? Come on, we haven't got all day." Nick said carelessly, as though it wasn't a full grown, 170 kilo man he had just knocked out.

I stared at his back, and then ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. When we got to the top, we froze. It was the base's mess-hall!

"Umm," I muttered. I thought fast. "Zeus, you can become invisible right?"

Because they were clouds, Nymbis could become invisible. Not to mention they could rain easily and shock you easily.

Zeus nodded; the cloud he was made of bent over to make it look like was frowning. Suddenly he disappeared.

"Good." I said, nodding with approval. "Get to the centre of the hall and use Rain of Lightning. That way we can be gone before they get up again."

When I felt him brush past me, I ran back down the stairs. Nick came with me.

"Ok, just start untying people." Was all I said. I went to the closest person, who was the silver haired boy. I untied him and helped him to stand. When he could stay up on his own, I went to the next person, who was the Psychic Girl. We kept going until I got to the last person, Hope. I paused, wondering if I should just leave him. I made a face, and then started untying her ropes. I hated that movie Pinocchio, and I hated it when I remembered bits of it all of a sudden. I'm whoever came up with Jiminy Cricket should be shot in my opinion.

As soon as her ropes fell off her, she turned with a snarl. "I could have done that myself. Just leave me alone!' She hissed poisonously. She pushed me away, and then fled up the stairs, pausing only to collect her backpack which was beside the wall with all the others.

Katrina and Nick came to stand beside me. "I think she really likes you. I know who'll be your biggest fan at the Diamond League." Nick said. He started laughing.

Katrina shook her head and a disapproving look came on her face.

"Nick, it's not funny. She could get really dangerous, if she hates Sam so much. I mean, she probably wouldn't have done what he just did. We'd better keep an eye on her. Nick, if you don't shut up, I'll tell everyone who kissed you under the mistletoe last Christmas."

THAT shut him up. "That's no fair, I was ambushed. How was I to know she was hiding behind that Christmas tree. I thought she was on the other side of the hall. I can't defend myself against that." He complained, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Come on you two. At this rate, they'll all be awake. And we need to get our Drake, Sparx and Artemis back." I told them. They stopped arguing instantly and grabbed their packs. As we ran, I spread out my mind over the entire base. Artemis and the others were in their pokeballs, on a desk at the lowest level.

I stopped as we went up to the mess hall. Everyone was on the ground, nicely done. Nick looked at Zeus with a new degree of respect. "Remind me never to get on your bad side." Nick said to Zeus.

"He'll do it anyway." Katrina muttered. I grinned, and looked around. A lift was on the other side of the room. Katrina saw it too and headed for it. Nick saw us and followed. Just before we got to it, I paused. Raising my hands, I made all of the Fauna member's pokeballs float into the air. I clicked my fingers. Instantly, they teleported to the Comed Pokecentre.

By now, the lift had arrived. I stepped back into it, just as it was about to close.

"Hey Sam, how come you didn't teleport Drake and the others here?" Katrina asked. She had probably thought of that when I got rid of all the pokeballs just then.

"I can't. I don't know why, but my powers won't work on them. If they could, we'd be out of here by now. All of the others are out. But they're staying nearby, I think that silver haired boy's making them stay." I explained as the door opened. "Ok, battle plan. You two do the physical stuff while I take care of any locked doors and stuff. Ok?"

"Right." They said in union. They nodded at the same time. I stepped back, and they stepped forward. We walked down an empty corridor, all silver and white. Really bright. We got to the other side of the corridor without anything happening. But the lift required a code.

"Sam?" Nick said. He stepped away to give me access. I frowned at the door. After a minute, the lock lifted and the door slid open. A fist came out of the lift. I bent over backwards as far as I could go. Thankfully, that was enough. Unfortunately, it hurt. A LOT!

"OOOWWW!" I yelled, my hands resting on the floor. I did the only thing that was on my mind: Stop the pain. I swung me feet up after me, that's harder than it looks, and in the process, kicked the man hiding in the elevator right on the chin.

He went over backwards, and didn't get up while we were there.

Nick bent over him. Katrina did too.

" Nice job!" Nick said, he looked amazed at the fact that I had knocked the guard out. I was amazed at that too.

"Thanks." I squeaked. I held my back. "Remind me never to do that again. Otherwise I might break my back. Oow." I said, eyes watering. That REALLY hurt. I looked at the man, and then did a double take. The guard was bigger than the one Nick had gotten before!

And then I shrugged. "Aren't I lucky he's got a glass chin?"

I stepped inside the elevator, levitated the man slightly and moved him out of the elevator. Nick and Kat stepped in and we went to the bottom floor.

"So, did you mean he had an actual chin made out of glass?" Katrina asked, looking skeptical.

She was asking Nick, who rolled his eyes. I shook my head. Sometimes Katrina acted like a real Psyduck.

"No, it doesn't mean he's got a glass chin. It means he's got a real weak chin, so it would be easy to knock him out. So, either Sam doesn't believe in how hard his kicks are or that man could have been knocked cold by a Ditto." Nick explained, hoping this would get through to Kat.

She nodded, it made sense.

I shook my head and grasped my back again. I bent forward. A few bones popped, snapping my back into place. I straightened. That felt better!

Suddenly the doors opened. We stepped out into a hallway coated with a soft, pink carpet. The walls were the same, except they were purple. We followed the path until we came to a wooden door. I reached forward with my powers. Just as I was about to touch the lock, my powers zoomed back into my head. I winced, and then tried again. I turned to the others and shook my head. Nick waved me and Kat to the side, and then went as far back as he could.

And then he ran forward. Just before he got to the door, he jumped and put his leg up straight. He slammed into the door. The door stayed up, but Nick's leg went right through it.

Katrina and me stared, and then started laughing. Nick glared at us. I levitated him back, being carefully so he wouldn't get spiked by the wood splinters. When he was out, I walked up to the door and looked through the hole. Sitting at a desk was a brown haired woman. She had brown eyes, pale white skin and a small, delicate nose. She was a natural beauty, but there was something cold about the way she glared at me.

"Altogether this time." I heard Nick say behind me. I walked backwards to where he and Katrina were.

"Three, two, one." Nick counted down.

"GO!" Yelled Katrina. We all ran at the door. We jumped at nearly the same time. I levitated, so I wouldn't go through the hole like Nick did. This time the door came off. Katrina and Nick landed on their feet, they were used to this. But I wasn't. I landed in an undignified pile at their feet.

They looked down at me, smirking.

I got up quickly and stepped into the room. It was empty! But the pokeballs were on the table. I picked the sapphire one up and threw it. Artemis came out, looking extremely angry.

"_Ok, where are they? The ones who got me?_" He asked, spraying everything in the office with water.

"They're gone, Artemis." I said, grabbing him and putting him on top of my pack, his favorite place to nap. "Come on, let's go. I'm getting sick of this place."

Outside Monarch's Tombstone, the Fields of Sorrow, 9:50 pm 

I walked up to where the other people were hiding. "You can come out now. We've got you pokemon." I announced, holding up the box full of pokeballs, minus Sparx, Artemis and Drake.

The others came out of a large bush, looking relieved. They were followed by Silver-Hair.

We handed the pokeballs out, but stopped when we found three full ones.

"Whose are these?" I asked, holding them out.

"Mine." Said Silver-Hair. He grabbed them, and then placed them on his belt. He looked relieved now that he had his pokemon back. I frowned, I still didn't know who he was. I may as well ask him, I was getting too tired to use telepathy.

"Who're you?" I asked, sounding tired. The other boy grinned. He grabbed the three pokeballs he had just put on his belt and threw them.

A Treecko, a Torchic and a Mudkip burst out. He then grabbed the other pokeballs on his belt and threw them too. Out came a Taillow, a Wurmple and a Slakoth.

"I'm Brendan Birch."

Fauna Base, Dictioy 

"I am most displeased. You were thwarted by three teenagers? More to the point, three teenage BEGINNING trainers?" Yelled Syca, leader of Team Fauna. She had just been told of what had happened at their base at Monarch's Tombstone.

"But please, they were different. One was psychic, and the other two were related to the Kanto Elite Four!" Said Opal, the Executive of the Monarch Base. While she was beautiful, she was a coward, more afraid of getting a scratch than being poisoned. She was extremely vain.

"And Birch's son, did you get his pokemon? If you didn't, I'll be so displeased you might need to go to work in the thorn bushes of the Safarii Zone." Syca did give out one kind of punishment for everyone, she punished them with their worst fears.

Opal started shaking. "No, you can't do that! My skin! Please don't! I'll do anything!"

She collapsed on the floor, crying.

"Take her away." Syca said to the guards by her door. When they had dragged Opal from the room, Syca turned to her window.

"We will need to watch those three. Guards!"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Get me the information on one of the Mudkips we caught. Do the same for the Pichu and Dratini. I want their ID numbers. Enter them onto the database, and then bringer the information to me. I am curious as to who could have brought down one of our most hidden schemes."

Pokedex

Chicken

Chicken Pokemon

Fire Type

(None)

_An animal from ancient times, this pokemon can breed quickly. A popular meal, the chicken has been eaten for centuries. Wild Chicken's can be found in Safarii Zones. During the breed season, they can get angry at other males and use a fire-based attack on the opponent. It has not become unusual to find a roasted Chicken in the wild._


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

A new companion

Sam's Point of View

21st of Echotrance, 1:00 pm 

I groaned. Brendan Birch followed behind me, Nick and Katrina, complaining about every little thing.

Since we had returned his Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip, aptly named Woody, Blaze and Storm, Brendan had decided to journey with us to "Make sure we stop doing dangerous things that require others to rescue us". When he said that, he said it in a tone that was almost saying "I rescued your pokemon, so respect me', when he didn't.

Three days ago, Katrina, Nick and I had managed to free Brendan and eight others trainers from the clutches of Team Fauna, with the help of a Psychic Girl. But now Brendan was acting like he had done the rescuing.

Brendan also kept hinting that, like his father, he was a genius. He had still yet to prove it though.

He kept saying things about pokemon that even a newborn would know and then say "Bet you didn't know that, did you?"

"Why is this road so long? They could have cut a simple path through that forest between here and Arw City and we would have been there two days ago. I mean, it's so stupid. Hey, did you know that in the past, Magikarp were stronger than they were now? Bet you didn't know that, did you?" Brendan said, looking triumphant. "Anyway, this road is really long, do long that you think they'd have a train going through here. I mean, this road is-!"

Katrina was the first to snap. She whirled around. WHACK!

"Come back here so I can do it again!" She yelled after him. He was running further along the road. He finally stopped next to me, wearing a pained expression on his face.

"That girl is crazy! She slapped me for no reason! Did you know, according to the law, men can abuse females, but females can't physically abuse men! How unfair is that? I mean-." He was off and rambling.

I sighed; I recognized this in one of my friends. Get her started and she'd never stop talking.

It took me twenty minutes, but finally I got sick of his constant talking. He hardly ever stopped to breath. He could last up to 4 minutes and 17 seconds before needing a breath. I was timing him on my Poke-Nav. I gritted my teeth. I pointed at his jaw, and then willed it shut. With an audible snap, it shut. I could hear him mumbling as he tried to open his jaw.

He moved his jaw from side to side, but couldn't open it. Finally he gave up and glared at me.

"Thank you! He's got more wind in him than Nick does!" Katrina said, grinning. She looked relieved. "My eardrums hurt now because of you." She told Brendan. In reply, he mumbled and buzzed at her.

"Are you sure? I've got lots of wind in me, if you wanna check." Nick said grinning. He thought everything was funny. So did the Pichu called Sparx that rested on Nick's shoulder.

"Nick, at least he expels air through his mouth. You just take things waaay too far. He's got the wind, you've got the smell." Said Katrina. She looked thoroughly disgusted.

I secretly agreed with her. If Nick kept this up, the only pokemon he'd get would be poison types.

"Come on; let's find a place to have lunch. I'm starting to get hungry." Sam said. He turned to Brendan. "I'll let your mouth go, if you stop talking. Deal?"

Brendan nodded. Sam flicked his fingers.

Brendan opened his jaw with a gasp. "Why'd you do that? I was talking much! I mean, that was so-so. Erm, sorry." He trailed off as he got a glare from each of the other three.

We walked for a while. While his complaining was annoying, Brendan was right. This was an irritating trail. It went straight for a while, but went into a lake called the Lake of Tears, made apparently when an Emperor of Dictioy died on this route. This lake was apparently made by the tears shed by the pokemon and humans for their Emperor.

The lake was a problem, because you could only surf by getting the Union Badge from Romanc City.

The only other way around it was a path that made the route look like a square angle. It was an easy path, with hardly any wild pokemon. That was why the path was so irritating.

But we were back on the main route now. Just above the Lake of Tears.

"How about over there?" Asked Brendan, pointing. I looked, so did Katrina and Nick. Brendan walked over and sat upon a big patch of plant. "It's perfect! Shade in a willow tree, water just nearby for drinking and comfortable plants to sit on!"

"The willow is half rotting and about to fall apart."

"That water is salt water, hence the name Lake of Tears."

"And that comfortable plant you're sitting on is poison ivy." Nick, Katrina and I shot down his ideas as he said them. But they were true!

"What?" Brendan looked down. Now he recognized the plant. He moved faster than a Rapidash on steroids. He went up the path in search of a better place to sit. And a place to scratch himself.

I wondered if he knew that a simple Full Heal would cure it. Probably not, guys like him knew all sorts of useless knowledge, nothing practical.

"Come on, there's a tree there with big branches. We might see a Pidgeot if we're lucky!" I said, pointing to a large oak tree. Katrina nodded while Nick look vaguely in the direction I had pointed.

We walked to the bottom of the tree, and Nick froze.

"Climb a tree? Oh no, I've had bad experiences with trees. Branches snapping, getting hit in the face with branches, spider pokemon, all sorts of things like that!" Nick said, growing pale.

Katrina and I exchanged amused looks. I had hoisted myself on to a likely looking branch while Kat had settled for a branch below me.

"Come on, be a brave boy and get up before Brendan gets back. If we're lucky, there might be acorns in here to throw at him!" Kat coaxed her voice soothing. I took a quick look around the branches which were, unfortunately, free of acorns. Oh well, I'd get Artemis to shoot him into the lake if he came back.

That reminded me. "Come on out Artemis! You too Zeus!" I called throwing their pokeballs into the air. They came out, and went different ways. Zeus strayed upwards, his idea of food being absorbing evaporated water and electricity from the air.

Artemis went straight for the lake, diving in so he could eat the numerous plants on the bottom.

With those two taken care of, I settled back into a groove of the tree, thinking and gnawing on an apple I had pulled from my backpack.

Silently, I listened to Kat's efforts to get Nick up the tree, and then drifted off. The egg in my bag was due to hatch any day now. The temperature meant it would be a healthy Polienix, or a very unhealthy Magnetix. I wanted a Polienix, but a Magnetix would be cool too. Magnetix were more of a power-pokemon while Polienix were more defense-based.

The egg wobbled every so often. It pressed against my back when I walked, so it was easy to tell.

My thoughts started to drift to Katrina, Nick, Brendan and me. Four people in one team did seem a bit much, but at least it was a good number. When we each have got a full team, we'd have twenty-four pokemon, a formidable number. And if one of us were immobilized somehow, we'd still have eighteen.

I wasn't entirely sure that Kat had serious intentions of becoming a trainer. I think she was aiming at being on of the seventeen pokemon type masters. Her uncle, Lance, was the Dragon Master; Misty Ketchum in Pallet Town was Water Master. It was a big list really, each person excelled in each of the types named after them.

Misty Ketchum, who was better known as Misty Waterflower, married Ash Ketchum nearly a decade ago. Ash Ketchum had proposed to her after he had won the title of 'International Champion" for the first time. The outcome was shown on TV for years afterwards, mainly in comedy shows. She had slapped him, and then stormed off from the stadium. After he had kept the title for a year, and then won the right to keep it for another year, he proposed again. This time she accepted. Since, they had two children, twins, who both promised to be as accomplished as their father.

Anyway, Nick was probably dead set on becoming a Champion. Maybe of Johto, or Kanto.

Now Brendan, a researcher, or maybe he wanted to be a Type Master as well. I bet his father gave him each of the three main elements so that he could test them out.

As for me, I didn't know what to do. If I chose one thing, I wanted to be the very best in that area.

Breeding took waaaay too long, I wasn't patient.

Researching was interesting, but it took a lot of money and resources. Not to mention all those pokemon that would be shipped to me.

Maybe become one of the Type Masters? But that would get boring, and not very smart, imagine having only water types and meeting a lightning trainer!

A Pokemon Trader, traveling the world, trading with pokemon and hoping I was going to wind up with a strong one? Nah, too risky.

Aim to be a Gym Leader? That required mastery of one type of pokemon. And you had to be vouched for by people, and then set up a gym, and so on.

An Elite Four member? Stuck to one league until I was eased off of it? Knowing I've got a stronger Elite than me staying in the same place too?

A Champion? Being pretty much in charge of one country would bore me. I liked to move. And I wouldn't battle many people.

The International Champion? Almost running the whole world, everyone obeying your every word for fear of being torched by your almost godly pokemon? Sounds good.

But to be an International Champion, you need every badge from the twelve regions, every badge from the five smaller leagues, like the Orange Islands, the Elite badges from every region, and then you need twelve Trainer Cards from each of the twelve regions, saying you'd fully defeated that region. And the fastest anyone had done that was in fifteen years. Well, I'm gonna aim to beat that record, I'm gonna be the next International Champion!

"Exactly! International League Champion, here I come!' I said, sitting up fast. Too fast, I slipped off the tree branch to land on my back. I heard a sniffing in my ear, so I looked, and got a faceful of tongue. I sat up again and wiped saliva from my eyes. A Growlithe sat there, wagging his, or her, tail. It barked at me, and then pranced in a circle around the tree.

I shook my head and rubbed my neck. I must've fallen harder than I thought. Growlithe were rare everywhere, but in Dictioy they were practically unheard of. Unless Growlithe were immigrating to Dictioy, which I doubt since when it gets cold, it gets _very_ cold here. Only the really fluffy pokemon that could trap heat onto their bodies somehow mainly lived here. Ice pokemon loved it here though.

I didn't I hate being really hot or really cold. Either way, they really irritated me.

"Um, guys, why is there a Growlithe here?" I asked stupidly, somehow thinking at the same time, '_They wouldn't know'_.

Katrina peered down from her branch. She had finally persuaded Nick up the tree. He now sat petrified on the thickest branch there was, which had been her old one, so she had migrated up.

"Don't you know? There's a caravan that comes through here every few years or so. They travel around Kanto, Johto, Dictioy, Janera and some of the other regions selling moves and Pokemon not native to that region. I'm guessing that Growlithe ran away from the group. You can see their caravan from here." She told me, pointing towards the place Brendan had deemed 'perfect'.

I looked too and was surprised to see an old caravan that looked like something from a Gypsy movie. I was also surprised to see the caravan was being pulled by things that looked like Ponytas, but instead of red flames, they had a deep green colour. And every step they took, a flower or plant shot up in the place they had stood. Nearby greenery also leaned towards them, making them seem like green snakes instead of vines.

I blinked. What were they? I pulled out my pokedex and pointed it at the horses.

"_Botanasprint, the Floral Horse Pokemon_!" My pokedex said, in a boring monotone that seemed the trademark for every pokedex.

I looked at the horses again, and then grabbed the collar of the Growlithe that was still scampering around, waiting for me to play with it. I bent over, leading it towards the main group of caravans where a happy looking man was driving the Botanasprints. He made them stop slowly as they came towards us.

"Ah! You found the little scamp did you? He continues to run from us, and he continues to come back." The man said in a loud voice. He had black hair and a large nose. His eyes were a hazel brown and his frame was of a medium size man, not too big, nor small. His voice was slightly husky, as if he kept raising it all the time.

"Yeah. He found me, actually. I fell of a tree and he licked my face. And then he wanted me to play with him! Anyway, here you go!" I said, releasing the Growlithe's collar from my grip. He bound forward and leapt up to sit beside the man. It gave me a dog-like grin, proud that it was at a higher elevation than me.

"You fell out of a tree? Why'd you do that? Wait; don't tell me, you were looking for bug pokemon? A Weedle, a Ledyba, a Wurmple, a Cocurm? Whatever bug type it is, we've got it here. Or we should." Said the man, waving his hand to include all the other caravans. "My name is Aiden, by the way."

"Er, hi. I'm Sam Sapphire." I said, blinking. I wondered silently if he had any Mareep or Squirtle. I loved Ampharos and Blastoise. I looked curiously at some of the cabins. None of the looked big enough to hold more than seven medium sized pokemon. None of them were big enough for Blastoise or Snorlax.

"Oh cool! I've wanted to see this for years!" Brendan's voice came from behind me. Slowly, I shut my eyes and shook my head. I felt a headache coming on. "Where are the fire pokemon? Do you have any?"

Aiden looked thoroughly taken aback by this teenager having such an interest with fire-types.

"Well, we have almost any fire types you can want. Apart from legendaries. We have seen some of them though, but we left them alone." Here, I'll lead you to the Fire pokemon. Follow me, please." Brendan half ran, half jogged towards Aiden, enthusiasm shining in his face. A trailed after them. This might be interesting.

The Fire types were actually all on a shelf in the back of the biggest caravan. Aiden marched up to a shelf in the far right corner of the caravan and activated a switch, which made some glass slide back, revealing hundreds of pokeballs. My eyes widened, while Brendan's practically popped out of his head. "Wow, got any Cyndaquils? Or Slugmas?" Brendan asked, hopping up and down.

_If he becomes a Type Trainer, he'll be a fire trainer, definitely._ I thought, watching Brendan with amusement. Kat might act the same if there was a Dragon shelf.

"Um, do you have a database on these pokemon? To show which ones you have?" I asked. Silently, Aiden pointed to a small PC. I walked over to it and moved the mouse. The screen popped up with a list of pokemon, all in numerical order. I flicked down the list. They had 6 Squirtles and 8 Mareep. I looked further down the list, stopping occasionally. I stopped at Mudkip, which there was only two of. I continued down. I stopped in surprise at the name, Latias. I quickly asked Aiden about that.

"Well, Latios and Latias can breed. So, we caught one. We were traveling on the sea and it was going in the opposite direction. It's our most expensive catch. We won't part with it for at least 100 million." Aiden explained, looking grim. "Anyway, did you see any pokemon you like?"

"Plenty." I said. "But I don't think I can afford them."

No joke. A Squirtle alone was 10 thousand. Mareep were cheaper, at only 7 hundred. Caterpie were only 100 dollars! I could only afford something in the 500's range.

"No problem! We've got a special program! If you swipe your Trainer Card in the slot here, it attaches a small machine to your Card and every time you win a battle, it pays off some of what you owe. Of course, you don't get your pokemon 'till you pay it off. Once you've paid it off, the PC senses it and transfers the pokemon to your account. And once you've gotten your Pokemon out, the machine falls off!" Aiden explained enthusiasm high in his voice.

By now Nick and Kat had come to explore. Katrina had found the Dragon shelf and kept jumping to see the seventh shelf. As there were ten shelves dedicated to dragon types, I wouldn't mind seeing how she saw the top three.

Nick was poking about in the water shelf. After that, he moved to the flying shelf.

"Um, yeah, that sounds good. I might try that. I said to Aiden, hoping it wouldn't take too much at once. I did need money to buy food once we got to Arw. We had plenty of food, but I didn't want to go low on the food. Hunger and me didn't mix, and when we did, I usually won.

"Excellent! What pokemon would you like?" Aiden said, sweeping his hand once more, this time to include all the pokeballs. There were so many different types, so little time. I gazed thoughtfully down the list, until I came upon a pokemon that would take too long to pay off and wouldn't take too much out of my money right now. Altogether I had $1500 to spend, but that wasn't much. If I spent $400, I'd be left with $1100, enough for food.

"I'd like a Mareep. If that's ok." I added quickly. He might need the Mareep for shearing, to sell to make more money. Some people were like that, used pokemon, saying they would sell them, but ended up not because their wool or berries or whatever got them a lot of money.

"Yeah, should be. Just scan your card through. How much d'you wanna pay now?" Aiden asked, taking over the computer. He opened up a different program. He waited while I filled in the amount, and then turned on the machine with the slot. "Ok kid, swipe it through here."

I did so, and looked as the little machine came out with the card. It was almost as flat as the card, and it stuck out a bit from it at the bottom and sides. It stayed, motionless and noiseless.

"Ok then, it'll stay on until you get a Pokecentre or Pokemart to remove it. So, how much do you want to go to payment every time you win a battle?" Aiden asked, pointing to another place on the PC.

"Erm, fifty dollars." I said, saying any random amount that came into my head. My head was spinning; I'd be getting a Mareep soon. Maybe it's just me, but I do seem to be getting a lot of pokemon. The next time I see a rare pokemon, I'd be pointing it out to one of the other three.

"Ok, you're done. Anything else?" Aiden asked, a grin pinned on his face. One of those grins that insurance salesmen have on their face when their knocking on doors and you answer it. Those smiles would hurt after a while.

"Do you have any translators? I had one, but it was stolen from me. And I'm getting sick of my Mudkip snickering at me every so often." I said. It was true, when Kat, Nick and I had been captured by the infamous Team Fauna, they had taken my translator from my ear. All I had now was a purple stud that Katrina had lent me to keep the ear-ring hole open. I had a choice between purple and pink, so I chose the purple. I kept it hidden with my hair anyway.

"Yes, we do. At a thousand per one, they're a bargain! And I was wondering why you were wearing a purple stud, but, it wasn't my place to ask." Aiden said, slinging a hand around my back and leading me to a new caravan. Potions, pokeballs and other stuff were piled up. But the translators were kept under the counter. Along with other, more costly stuff.

"Here we go!" Announced Aiden, bringing out ear translators. There were fire red, sky blue, leaf green, lavender purple, sunny yellow, dragon orange, black and white. Not much range, compared to the Pokemart at Comed.

I pointed to the sky-blue one and got out my Trainer Card. I swiped it through the cash register, and then jumped as it banged open.

"Sorry, it does that sometimes." Aiden shot me an apologetic grin. "That's it, anything else?"

I shook my head and waited for him as he locked the Pokemart there. Together, we walked back to the Pokeball caravan. Katrina waited outside it, all the backpacks beside her. She had obviously dragged them here.

"Where've you been? I've been waiting for ages! Nick's still looking through the wares." Katrina said to me, jerking her thumb towards the door. "I've already gotten my prize pokemon."

I looked at her warily. I hoped she hadn't found a Totodile or something equally gentle.

"So, what did you get?" I asked her as Aiden bustled past me so that he could serve Nick and Brendan. In response, she unhooked an orange pokeball from her belt and enlarged it. Silently, she threw it, a goofy smile coated her face.

I stood back, ready to run if it WAS a Totodile. The red light blinded, so I covered my eyes.

But my ears told me what it was.

"_Karp? Magik-karp karp,magi, magi-mag, MAGIKARP!_" I covered my eyes again. I suddenly wanted to be mauled by that Totodile I had feared. And then I wondered why my translator wasn't working. Then I remembered, it was in my pocket. I grabbed it and handed Katrina her purple one.

"Thanks for that, but I've got another translator." I said, putting it on. Instantly it began working, I could tell because Magikarp began talking.

"_Food? Food-food? Foodfoodfoodfood! FOOD!" Magikarp said, I grimaced._

"You know, you could have asked Nick to call his mother and ask for a replacement. So, what is Magikarp saying?" Katrina asked, looking at me.

_A fat lot of good that does me now, doesn't it?_ I asked myself. If she had told me that before, I'd have been able to save myself a thousand dollars!

"Um, let me see. He's saying: 'Food, food, food again, and, hmm, food!' I think he's hungry." I said, stating the obvious to her. She frowned at me, and then turned to frown at the Magikarp.

She dug in her pocket for some Poke-pellets that she stowed there. She gave them to Magikarp, who continued to flop on the ground.

"Ok, I think I'll call him, Rage. There! It'll suit him when he evolves." Katrina muttered, chewing on one of her fingers as she thought. I rolled my eyes, a Magikarp named Rage? That's almost like finding a timid Mewtwo.

She saw the eye-roll. "Shut up you. It's good. I'd be hard to beat with a Gyarados, won't I? And I'll be able to train him up at Arw Gym."

"How? By Splashing at them?" I asked, a smug look on my face. "Is Nick buying the whole store in there?"

Kat turned to the door, looking puzzled.

"Well, he's got enough money for it. He must be getting a really good pokemon or something." She said, frowning. I had to agree with her there, Nick had plenty of money, courtesy of his mother.

Suddenly Brendan appeared, looking pleased with himself.

"I just got the best deal! A two for one deal. Buy two pokemon, get one free!" Brendan said, looking triumphant. He threw three pokeballs towards us; he must have moved his team around, using the computer. With flashes of light, a Slugma, a Vulpix and a Numel appeared.

"Meet Flare, Vixen and Burn!"

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Katrina, she looked at me with a look of disbelief on her face.

Suddenly, I shrugged. "Oh well, it's better than a Magikarp." I said pointedly.

Katrina glared daggers at me, and returned Rage quickly.

"Oh yeah? What did you get then, Mister International Champion?" She asked, irritation radiating from her face. She drew herself up to her full height, and tried glaring down her nose, up at me, if that makes sense. Her full height wasn't much.

I raised my eyebrow again. "That will work much better when you get more height and more nose." I told her, flicking her small, button of a nose.

She deflated and covered her nose.

"Shut up." She muttered from beneath her palm. She shuffled off, her hand still covering her face.

Brendan looked at her with a quizzical look on his face. He opened his mouth to talk, but shut up as he saw the way I narrowed my eyes at him. He shuffled off, much the same way as Kat did.

_About time, I thought nothing could stop him talking!_ I thought, congratulating myself. I started walking towards our campsite, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.

"Why don't you stay for dinner? My family loves to hear stories of Pokemon Trainers." Aiden's voice boomed into my ears, a sound that I tried hard not to block. Instead, I winced.

"Ok, that'd be good." I said, resisting the urge to cover my ears. It was a hard thing to do, when you had something making enough noise to wake a Jirachi. Or a particularly deaf Snorlax.

"Great! I'm assuming you four are some of the trainers that won the Pokemon competition in the paper?" Aiden asked, lifting his hand from my shoulder. He wandered towards yet another caravan and sat down on a seat that someone had unloaded.

I followed him, getting slightly irritated. "No, only three of us. The guy that bought the three fire-types is Brendan Birch." I pointed towards him, his silver hair sticking out clearly in this environment.

"Really? What do you know? Say, do you want to battle my son? He wants to be a Trainer, but his mother won't let him. He battles whenever he can though." Aiden said. I was caught off-guard. I hadn't really expected to battle. Nick had challenged an trainers we had met, so I had only battle Hope so far.

"Ok! Now you're talking!' I said, punching the air with my fist. I had been itching to fight since yesterday. I quickly sent out a mind link to the lake, searching for Artemis. There were a lot of Goldeen, Seaking and Magikarp, but I quickly found Artemis, eating the weeds at the bottom of the lake.

**_Artemis, get ready to battle! _**I declared, sending a feeling of excitement down the link with the message.

**_Why? Is Nick getting irritated with you again? _** He asked, sounding curious. When Nick's optimistic nature had totally enraged me, I had made a few sarcastic comments directed at him and his Chicken. I would still have a black eye, except it turned out that Nick had a Healtia on his team. According to him, his mother wouldn't let him go unless he had some form of quick healing.

**_NO! I've been challenged. You going to battle or not? Otherwise it will be a one-on-one battle. I've only got Zeus right now!_** I said, knowing that, while powerful, I didn't really want to take my chances completely on Zeus. I trusted him, but still.

Artemis sighed. **_Fine, but I'd better get a Rare Candy afterwards._** I had been training Zeus and Artemis ever since we had escaped from Team Fauna's hideout. Every time they mastered a new move or successfully completed a hard one, or improved on their old ones, I awarded them with a Rare Candy from the bottle I had bought at Comed. Artemis in particular had taken a liking for them.

I sighed inwardly.**_ Fine, just hurry up and get here. I'm about to start! _**I was, Aiden suddenly came from around a corner of a caravan, leading a boy who looked like he was fifteen.

"Here we go, I'll referee." Aiden announced. I walked away a little from Aiden's son, far enough for our pokemon to have enough room to fight.

I met Aiden's son's eyes, a silent challenge passed between us. He raised an eyebrow, I raised one as well. He suddenly snatched a pokeball from his belt and threw it up in the air, as it came down he slapped it towards me. With a flash of light, a Dredo appeared. A sweat came to my face, Dredo were dark types that had the ability to make you relive your worst memories, literally! They somehow warped the fabric of time and sent you to the past, a few seconds or minutes before your memory started. Because of this, Dredo were also a Time type.

"Um." I muttered, before I snatched Zeus's Pokeball from its magnetic hold on my belt. I threw his pokeball in the air, caught it, spun once and threw it. "Ok Zeus, let's use some of those moves we made, ok?"

While most Trainers couldn't be bothered with the effort of making new moves, I liked to do it. It gave you the element of surprise in battle. Not to mention, you might even have it made into an official move!

"Ok, it's a Nymbis versus a Dredo in this battle." Aiden announced, telling the information to a few women and children who had come to watch. "And it's a newcomer, Sam against my son, Issac!"

He pointed to both of us as he said our names. I felt myself go slightly red, but focused my attention on Zeus.

"Ok Zeus, use Thunderbolt!" I called to him. A large grin spread onto Zeus's face. He started sparking, his normally white body turning a sinister black. A few, white hot began falling from his body to die on the ground. Suddenly, a large, white thunderbolt appeared in the air between Zeus and Dredo. A gigantic booming noise filled the air, making everyone drop what they were holding to cover their ears.

Once I had unblocked my ears, I spared a glance at Dredo. It looked badly shaken, but apart from that, unharmed. I frowned. Issac started laughing. I glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Apart from the fact that Dredo's ability, Element Block, stops everything apart from physical attacks hitting him." Issac announced, smirking at me. "And since a Nymbis is nothing but a cloud, it will be hard to strike a physical attack, won't it?"

I scowled at him. It was true; Zeus would just go through Dredo unless he was touching him. Which meant….

"Zeus! Use Lightning Absorber!" I called. Issac looked at me, a confused look on his face.

Zeus understood though. He flew high out of Dredo's reach, into a cloud. Dark clouds, heavy with lightning bolts appeared from nowhere. They hovered, just above Zeus. Then they began sending down lightning strikes, each one hitting Zeus directly. Issac was looking more and more confused. Dredo had the same expression as its master. The attack abruptly came to an end, when the thunderheads disappeared without a trace.

"What was the use of that? You just weakened your Pokemon! And if it has some special effect, it won't harm Dredo!" Issac yelled at me from across the field. I gave him a superior grin, one that was guaranteed to irritate the hell out of my opponent.

"Zeus, swoop down and hover ON Dredo!" I yelled. Zeus gave me a look that plainly said "_What drugs are you on?_" But he did it anyway.

Issac, on the other hand, was beginning to suspect something.

"What are you doing? You CAN'T hurt Dredo! How many times do I have to tell you?" He shouted. "Dredo, use Borrowed Time!"

I gasped, Borrowed Time! It had been the downfall of many people. It was a time based move, in it; the user stole time from the opponent. It stopped the opponent in their tracks for a while. But it was usually long enough.

"Ok Dredo! Use Dark Scythes!" Issac yelled. I shook my head. I was about to make my downfall, my advantage! Dredo jumped away from Zeus, and then jumped back, darkness forming into long swords at its sides. It passed through Zeus and landed on its feet. It turned, a sneer on its face, but jumped in shock. Nothing had happened! Issac had been right; Zeus was a cloud type, which meant he couldn't be hit by physical moves. Dredo and Nymbis were basically opposites!

"Ok Zeus, envelope Dredo again!" I yelled, Zeus was moving again, with a small lightning flash, he completely covered Dredo, obscuring our view of him. "Now, THUNDERBOLT!!!"

The snapping boom filled the air again. When we look up, Dredo was on the ground, unconscious.

"What? How?! YOU CHEATED! YOU CAN'T HURT DREDO UNLES YOU WERE USING A PHYSICAL ATTACK!" Issac yelled with rage. He started stomping over my way. I tensed, ready to use the half remembered hold Katrina had taught me after we escaped Team Fauna's hideout.

"Issac, he won that round fair and square." Aiden's voice stopped Issac in his tracks. He spun to face his father.

"But he didn't use a Physical Attack! So how did he win? He must have chea-"

Aiden look down at his son. "Physical moves require one thing, don't they? Physical contact, and his Nymbis did just that. It established total contact on Dredo. Now, move back to your place before I disqualify you." Aiden commanded, pointing to where Issac had stood previously.

Issac moved back sulkily, glaring daggers at Zeus. "Fine, you'll wish you hadn't made me do this!" He announced, a malicious smile spreading over his face. He threw a pure white Pokeball- a Premier Ball, towards Zeus. With a flash of white light, a large, white and black Pokemon burst from it. I blinked; this wasn't a Pokemon I could recognize. I brought out my blue Pokedex, hardly used, and pointed it at the Pokemon.

"_Absol, the Disaster Pokemon. A pokemon nearly hunted to extinction because people used to think it brought on natural disasters; it has been found out that it appears just BEFORE natural disasters to warn humans. Its main attacks are Bite and Razor Wind._" My Pokedex, named Tetra for some reason, told me. Its voice was female.

"Oh, ok then." I muttered and put Tetra away. I thought quickly, sizing up the Absol against Zeus.

But Issac moved too quickly for me to think much.

"Absol, use Quad-Horn!"

"Zeus, move out of the way!" The words were out my mouth before I even thought of them. I stopped, surprised for a moment, and then yelled out again. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Zeus tried; a few bolts flickered over his cloudy skin, a wiry thin bolt jumped from Zeus towards the Absol. When it hit the Absol, it vanished. All that remained of the lightning was a slightly shimmering of it in the Absol's fur.

I stared, and then turned my head as I saw a flash of blue coming from the direction of the Lake of Tears. I held out Zeus's sapphire Pokeball.

"Zeus, great job! Return!"

Issac looked stunned, but replaced that look with a smirk. "Out of Pokemon, huh? Well, I win!"

He took out a Trainer Card and watched it expectantly.

"I don't think so. Artemis, Water Gun!" I called out grinning as Issac's smirk reversed to his stunned look. A torrent of water came from the Absol's left, knocking it into a nearby tree. It got up, fury in its eyes as it glared at Artemis, who had jumped in front of me.

"It's a Mudkip, Artemis versus an Absol. Let the battle commence!" Aiden announced. By this time, a lot of people had clustered up at Issac's end, while Brendan, Kat, Nick and a couple of others were at mine.

"Ok, Artemis, using Flood Roll!" Artemis tucked himself up into a ball, the orange frill at the top of his head sticking out. Water came out from the small circle where his body could touch, somehow flooding upwards until he was covered in water. Artemis then started rolling around Absol, trying to make it dizzy. When he had gotten it slightly dizzy, Artemis stopped, so quickly that the water, and the other lot of stuff he had picked up when he was rolling, flew off, right at the Absol, who was swaying slightly, before jumping out of the way. I winced, Flood Roll was good at confusing the enemy and making it dizzy, but its success depended on how dizzy the opponent was. And the bad thing was, it made the user dizzy.

"Absol, Razor Wind. Quickly, while his Mudkip is stunned!" Issac yelled. Absol stopped; it had been heading for Artemis. It stopped and a sudden, cold, biting wind sprang up. It concentrated towards Absol, and soon a visible whirlwind could be seen around it.

"Artemis, Water Gun before it uses that attack!" I shouted at Artemis, who was staggering around. He tried focusing on Absol and shot another Water Gun and Absol. It missed Absol, but managed to hit Issac. I burst out laughing as he got up, dripping considerably. He gritted his teeth and marched towards Artemis. I strode forward, covering the distance between us considerably. I stopped in front of Artemis and crossed my arms. "Touch him and you'll find yourself in the Lake of Tears."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna try me?'

"Bring it on, nerd!"

"I'm warning you for the second time now! Once more-"

"And you'll what? Bounce sunlight into my eyes with your glasses?"

"THAT'S IT!"

Now he had me angry. I picked him up mentally, and directed him towards the Lake. A hand on my shoulder broke my concentration. Issac dropped on a luckily placed gorse bush.

"You know I can't let you do that to my son." Aiden said, a strain of humor in his voice. "But in this case, I think that he does deserve to land in that bush."

I looked up at him "You're not a normal guy, are you?" I instantly reddened. 'Not that I meant you were weird or anything!"

Aiden smiled, YET again. "Don't worry, I know what you mean. I'm considered unusual by even the unusual. Now, shall we commence the battle or shall I proclaim it a draw?" He asked.

I thought for a moment as Issac came back to us. If looks could kill, I'd be deader than that Dredo of his. "Yeah, I don't want a draw this early on my journey. Especially on my first journey."

"Ok, let's continue the match then!" Aiden announced, scuttling out of the way.

Artemis wasn't dizzy anymore, which meant that he could use Flood Roll, but I'd prefer he didn't unless he was in trouble.

"Ok, Artemis, try Mud Slap!" I called. Artemis glanced over his shoulder, plainly confused. He had probably thought that I would have ordered Flood Roll again, but I went with a good, old, standard Mud Slap.

Artemis shrugged, his confusion gone. Since there was no mud around, he had to create it himself. He shot water at the ground, which soon turned to a small mud pit. Artemis turned his back to the Absol and scooped some mud up with his flat, spade-like tail. It stayed there comfortably. Since Mudkip produced their own water inside, the mud would stay mud.

"Absol, Double Team!"

I winced. "Artemis, go for the one in front of Issac!"

"_Who?" _Artemis asked, looking around in confusion. He looked at Aiden, standing at the side of the 'arena' and then at Issac. By now the Absol had made a circle that bordered the arena, a total of twenty Absols were on the field.

"The one in front of the other trainer!" I said, pointing at Issac. Artemis stared at Issac, and a sly grin appeared on his face. He deftly flicked the mud at the Absol, and snorted as it went through it. Issac, finding himself on the receiving end of one of Artemis's attacks for a second time, was less amused.

"If he does that one more time, I'll-"He cut off. His father had caught his eye and something passed between the two. A steel-eyed glare from his father and Issac looked down.

Suddenly Issac looked up.

"Absol, Razor Wind!" He commanded. Instantly, all of the Absol started a whirlwind around itself. But if only one was real, then the doubles wouldn't be able to replicate the attacks, just the likeness. I shut my eyes and listened. A small whispering of wind came from my right and I opened my eye. There! An Absol that moved slightly faster than the others!

"Artemis! Mud Slap on this Absol!" I pointed at Absol. Absol itself looked startled and tried fleeing, but got a faceful of mud as it dove left. It pawed at its face as it tumbled, landing on its side. It got to its feet and scratched at its eyes, trying to remove the mud.

"Ok Artemis, Water Stream!" A jet of water came from Artemis's mouth. It was slightly stronger than a normal Water Gun, but less powerful than a Hydro Pump.

The water hit Absol face on, cleaning the mud from its eyes. It got to its feet again, blinking water from its eyes. It shook itself, dislodging water and spraying the crowd with it.

It gave an angry bark. "_That's it, little fishy. When I'm done, your going to be frying over a fire."_

"_Oooh, I'm so afraid._" Artemis said. "_You just keep telling yourself that. I don't want to ruin your self-esteem. Well, it'll get ruined when I beat you , so, keep going then!_"

Absol growled, its upper lip peeling back over its front teeth. "_Fine, I'll keep saying it then. It will make it more damaging when you lose!_"

"_Me? Lose? I am Artemis, god of the wilderness! I could never lose!_" Artemis said, standing slightly on his hind legs.

"_You? A god? Of what? The toilet?" _Absol said, letting out an eerie cry that would have to be its laugh.

"_Tough words coming from someone who drinks from one._" Artemis retorted. I shook my head, and then jumped back. While they had been insulting each other, no-one had seemed to notice the small whirlwind that had been growing around Absol. It was standing on a patch of dry dirt with no leaves nearby.

The whirlwind itself had hit Artemis, moving too quickly for him to dodge it. With a blink of an eye, Absol rushed at Artemis, slamming him with its long horn, glowing white. A sudden boom filled the air as lightning flashed from the sky, followed by hail, and then water, and lastly, fire. When I could finally see after Absol had finished its Quad-Horn attack, Artemis was on the ground, knocked out.

I blinked, and then dashed forward. Before Issac could even move, Artemis was in my arms and I was searching my backpack for a Revive that I had found a few days ago. When I had the small container in my hands, I opened Artemis's mouth and tipped the liquid that the Revive contained down his throat. A spicy smell drifted up from the Revive, making me sneeze. No wonder it revived pokemon! If they added chili and wasabi, it would be enough to wake the dead. Thankfully for Artemis, they didn't.

Artemis kicked as the liquid went down to his stomach. He jumped out of my arms and shot a stream of water in the air, trying to cool his burning mouth.

I smiled slightly, and then glanced at my Trainer Card just as the $100 turned into a fifty. I winced again; this was not a good day!

Issac wandered over, having recalled his Absol. "Well, looks like I won." He said, a triumphant note in his voice and a look of gloating on his face. I raised an eyebrow; my face was totally blank now. I seriously considered trying to dump him in the lake again, but, against my better judgment, I held out my hand.

"Good match, Issac." I said, plastering a grin on my face. _Now, I'll plot revenge on you and I'll get you back next time._ I thought to myself. Whether I meant it on not, I couldn't tell. I don't think I meant it.

"Oh course, the better man won." Issac said, raising his head so that he was taller than me. He already had been, so it didn't make much of a difference.

"You'd have to be Elite Four standards to beat me!"

"Um, YOU didn't actually battle. Unless you happen to be a particularly skilled Ditto." I said, the blank look on my face again. "And if you can only be beaten by people who are tough enough to be Elite Four, then the Elite Four around the world must be less tough than people thought."

"Hey, my Dad is an Elite Four member, so leave them alone! He could beat you from Forenzis to Metone five times over before you realized what's happening." Nick called out, pointing a finger at Issac.

"Did that actually make sense?" I asked him. "And Lance is Kat's Uncle." I reminded him. Kat nodded in agreement, and then turned to Issac.

"There is such thing as a graceful winner."

"I am being graceful. I mean, I didn't let Absol pound his Mudkip into the ground, did I? It was a perfect win too." Issac drawled, smirking at me.

Now, Law 2867 states that, unless there are extreme circumstances, one must never control someone's mind, so, I obeyed that law.

"Issac, if it was such a perfect win, how come Zeus beat your Dredo?" Nick said, sticking up for me. I made a mental note to thank Kat and Nick later. I noticed that Nick was also flexing his hand.

"A mere fluke, nothing else." Issac said. "Anyway, he cheated."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Don't make me dunk you in the lake! Or I could permanently attach that gorse bush to your face!"

"Let's see you try!"

"Will you two stop it? You're worse than Ash and Gary! And trust me, they're exactly like that in real life too!" Kat said, her hands on her hips as she glared at Issac and me.

I glared at Issac, and then turned away. At this rate, Issac would definitely be my rival. Hope wasn't, she's just a plain old Miltank.

"Fine, I'll stop. But I'm gonna beat you next time!" I said, walking away, towards the Lake of Tears. I needed to check on Artemis. He had run that way after he had finished squirting the air.

**_Artemis?_** I called out, honing in on the brain pattern that felt most like his. I found him, hiding in a hole in the bank, upset.

**_Go away! Just leave me alone._** Artemis shot back. He abruptly cut the link. I sighed, and then opened it again.

**_Artemis, come on. He beat you, let's leave it at that. In my opinion, the loss will do us both good. It'll show that we aren't invincible. At least, that you aren't. _** I sent a grinning face down the link, my face. He cut the link off again, I shut my eyes. Patience was definitely NOT a strong point of mine.

**_Ok, I'll teleport you out if you don't come out._ **I told him, opening the link for a third time. **_Five, four, three, two_**-.

**_Fine!. I'm coming out. _**Artemis said. A few seconds later, he crawled up on the lake bank, looking as miserable as a Mudkip could be. He was hanging his head and his shoulders were hunched. "_Happy?_"

"Much. Now, let's talk. Artemis, what do YOU want to be?" I asked.

Artemis looked surprised at this sudden question.

"_Me? I thought that the trainer made the decisions, not the pokemon._" He said, frowning, or making his head frill crumple up.

"But I'm asking the pokemon. Tell me, I want to know. Do you want to be a Contest Winner? Or maybe a Top Battler? Or a Display Battler? Or maybe a Trade Pokemon? It's your choice, I won't stop you if you even want to leave." I said, lying down and looking Artemis straight in the eyes.

"_I, don't know. A battler is probably best. I want to help you win badges, and defeat leagues, not showing off in Contests. Anyway, you need me around to protect you._" Artemis said, a small smile started creeping from his lips.

"You protect me? More like use me for a shield." I said, joking to try and get him to relax. Artemis gave me a half effort scowl, but broke into a grin seconds later.

"_The only way I'd use you for a shield is if a Solarbeam was heading my way."_ I winced; grass-types were probably a Water / Ground type's worst nightmare.

I also winced because Solarbeams had the effect to paralyze humans. It doesn't do that for Pokemon, but it does it to humans because of some quirk in our D.N.A. Like Tail Whip. It lowered other Pokemon's defense, but hurt us a lot.

"Yeah, thanks." I said sarcastically. "Come on Artemis; let's get back to the others."


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Battle City

_**Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon,**_

_**Let's Do it.**_

_**I wanna be, **_

_**The very best,**_

_**Like no-one ever was.**_

_**To catch 'em is my real test,**_

_**To train them is my cause.**_

**_My whole life has lead to this,_**

_**Time to test my skills.**_

_**I know I just can't wait to show the world.**_

_**Born to be a winner.**_

_**Born to be a Champion**_

_**Born to be a winner,**_

_**Born to be the very best,**_

_**Born to be a winner,**_

_**Pokemon!**_

26th of Echotrance, 10:30 am>

I sighed with relief. After ten days of being out in the wild, finally we were in Arw city, home to the Fire Gym and the Flare Badge.

The interesting thing about this league was that you actually only needed four badges in order to qualify for the league. But there were eight gyms. The Flare Badge was a Duel Badge. In the league, you collected each badge, but two joined together to form a completely new badge. The Flare Badge joined with the Gold Badge, from the steel gym in Scine Town and formed the Smith Badge.

In the five days since we had left Aaron's Caravan, we'd seen two trainers. I had challenged them both, and won them both. I was happy, but I had started to wonder on the challenge level of this region. Together, the trainer's had given $500, $100 of which went to getting my Mareep.

"Lucky Sam, he'll have no problem with this gym." I heard Nick mutter to himself behind me. I rolled my eyes. Nick had been complaining about that every day for the past week. It was true though, Mudkip was a duel water / ground type and Zeus was an Electric / Water type. Nick only had Sparx and Chicken.

Chicken had given us a surprise this morning, by laying two eggs instead of one. It felt that this deserved an extra loud crow, earning itself some frozen tail feathers from Drogan and finding itself stuck inside a half-rotting tree, courtesy of me. Chicken's brown tail feathers had required a small ember from itself and a kick from Katrina in order to unfreeze.

"So, where's the Pokemon Centre?" Asked Brendan. He had been fairly quiet since Katrina had finally snapped and beaten him up. His eye was still black and a scab on his lip was just healing. Nick hadn't yet mentioned his Healtia to Brendan, so Brendan had had to suffer.

"That way." I said, pointing down a street to my left. "Then we go right, straight ahead then left again."

"How'd you know that?"

"There's a sign just here, open your eyes and you'd have seen it as well."

"Well, since one of them is bruised shut, I'm finding that a little difficult right now." Brendan retorted, before walking past me, down the street and promptly stepped on a street Rattata's tail.

I shook my head. Brendan was still learning that he couldn't see out of his right eye. He had managed to kick Sparx, step on Artemis's tail and trip over several rocks. He had been shocked and tackled, so he had bruises on his shins and knees as well. Overall, he looked battered and mistreated. If we were lucky, he might leave us.

I sighed and walked a couple of steps and helped his up. "Shoo." I said to the Rattata, which hissed and escaped into an alleyway. It returned with a couple of its friends, but they turned right back around when they saw the glare I gave them.

"Good. I'm glad at least they have enough sense to go away when I glare." I said simply. "I thought I was losing my touch, since you three are still here."

"Sorry mate, but you're stuck with us. Or at least me." Nick said cheerfully, walking around me and Brendan, before turning to face us. "The day someone intimidates me is the day Chicken will develop brains."

"_I still don't see why you don't give Chicken a name._" Said Artemis, jumping down from my shoulder. "_I mean, would you like to be called 'Human' all the time by everyone?_"

At this, Nick looked thoughtful, a rare occurrence. "I've never thought of it like that. Meh, I'm gonna deposit her in the computer when we get to the Pokemon Centre, so there's no point." He said, before walking ahead of us.

"C'mon. Let's go." Katrina said, before running up to join Nick.

I made sure they were well and truly past the corner and out of site before I fumbled out my TWT. I put my hand on Brendan's shoulder, and with another quick look at the map, I teleported to the front of the Centre.

Most times, you need to have visited the place you're teleporting to before you actually teleport. Otherwise you could end up on the opposite side of the world, in the middle of a Team Rocket base and completely drained of energy. But you can also use a map, it can still go wrong but not as much.

In this case, I went where I intended: right in front of the Pokemon Centre, with Brendan in tow. "Here we go. Now you can get your eye and lip seen to." I said, leading him inside, stopping him from bumping into the glass doors. I placed my Pokeballs on the counter, nudging Brendan so that he would do the same.

"Could I get some Bruise Balm? My friend has several bruises and a black eye." I said clearly to the Blissey behind the desk. She nodded and disappeared into a room behind the desk, taking my Pokeballs and Brendan's with her. She returned with a small container, filled with a balm that could cure small bruises and take the pain away from major ones.

Bruise Balm was a recent discovery. It's made from the egg of a Chansey, Blissey or a Healtia and then some other ingredients were added. In the end, it made bruises disappear most of the time and could even heal small cuts and scratches.

"Thanks." I said, transferring Brendan's Trainer Card from his pocket to my hand by telekinesis. I swiped it through the register, and then replaced it in Brendan's pocket without him being none the wiser. "Can I also book a room for four? Just for tonight, tomorrow and the day after."

I personally didn't know when we were going to leave, but knowing Nick, he would like civilization for a couple of days.

The Chansey nodded, just as Nick and Katrina ran through the door, puffing. They had obviously just finished racing each other. I raised an eye at them, and then shook my head, accepted the key the Chansey had given and started to lead Brendan to our room, which was room 23. I flashed the number at Kat and Nick, and then walked off.

When we were all in our room, I turned to the others. Brendan had put on his Bruise Balm and I had nabbed a top bunk by then.

"Ok guys, I've booked this room for three days, no longer." I said, looking at everyone. "I don't really care about what you'll be doing in this city, but I'm going as soon as I've gotten my badge and stocked up on supplies."

Arw City was big and had plenty to do, especially for 13 year old boys A.K.A, Nick and Brendan. I was easily the oldest in the group by ten months. I didn't really trust Nick and Brendan, particularly Brendan, in a city that had everything for all ages.

"So, if you want to be with me, you'll be ready by the time I go. I'm gonna be spending the rest of the day training around the city though. Any questions? I didn't think so." I turned around and went into the bathroom, to have a nice, long shower to get what felt like a century's dirt off of me. I went back into our room, sighing with relief and scrubbing my hair. While doing that, I flicked my fingers at my bag. Instantly all of my clothes flew out, piling themselves on my bed. My towel soared over to land on top of the pile with another, well-placed flick of my fingers.

I dug in my bag, shoving my pair of sandals, hats and jacket aside as I searched for the Anticairon egg. It still hadn't hatched. I couldn't remember Ani saying exactly how old the egg was, so I didn't know how long until it hatched. I probed it gently with my mind, taking special care when I was on top of the embryo. It would take about two weeks until it hatched, judging from its size.

"Will that thing ever hatch?" Katrina's voice suddenly said from behind me. When I was surprised I had two reactions: Jumping, and then running after the person that scared me or simply shutting my eyes. This time I shut my eyes. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Nah, never." I said sarcastically, placing the egg's container in a beam of sunlight, fiddling with the controls of the container at the same time. "I don't know when it'll hatch, I'm guessing in about a week or two."

"Oh." With that, Kat walked over and stood next to me. "So, what's in the egg?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? How can you not know? Unless you found it, or stole it. You didn't steal it from Aaron's caravan, did you?" She said, suddenly shrewd and suspicious.

I sighed. "No, I got it from my big sister. I don't know because I don't know what gender it is. When it hatches, it'll either be a Polienix or a Magnetix. My sister has an Anticairon!"

"Really? Cool. I hope it'll be a Polienix."

"So do I."

"Now, to business. Nick gave me his Trainer Card; Brendan gave me a list of shops. You are coming with me." Kat said, straightening to her full height and getting an evil look on her face.

"Huh?"

Poke-Mart, Arw City, 11:30 am>

I trudged after Kat. It seemed that Kat, Brendan and Nick had ganged up against me to deal with my looks. Apparently they 'Refused to travel with someone who looks like they bought theirclothes from a second-hand store.'

I actually thought that they were travelling with me.

Nick had supplied the money supply, Brendan had supplied the map and Kat had provided the guided tour. Guided because the others didn't trust my taste for some reason. I had a feeling that this was revenge from Brendan and Nick because I had dumped them in the Lake of Tears when we were camped there. It wasn't my fault that they had stayed up all night flirting with the females of Aaron's caravan!

Either way, it was evil revenge. I made a mental note to put arsenic in their breakfast in the morning.

"Try this on; it should keep you warm in the cold weather."

Actually, scratch that mental note. I was going to put it in their dinner instead.

"Kat," I said patiently. "I already have a coat. A perfectly good one."

"One that doesn't match your jeans and tops!"

I raised my eyebrow sceptically then. I fiddled underneath my shirt when she started to bring out some wristbands, looking for my TWT. Guess what? I couldn't find it!

"Oh." Kat said, looking at what I was doing. "Are you looking for this?"

She held up my TWT with a demonic grin. Scratch that last mental note, I was gonna throttle the both of them the next time I saw them.

"Yeah, I was actually. But since that's not gonna work, I'm just gonna run now." I tried to follow my plan through, when my legs were frozen in place. Katrina was using my own TWT against me! "Kat, did I ever tell you how much I hate you?"

"No, but I can make a rough guess."

Pokemon Centre, Arw City, 1:45 pm>

When I staggered into our room hours later, carrying two bags full of clothes and accessories, I saw Nick and Brendan challenging each other to a Pokemon Card game. By the looks of it, Brendan was winning, owing to the fact that he was grinning and Nick was looking sulky. Not to mention Brendan had picked up most of his prizes.

They both turned when I entered, trying to conceal grins.

"Hi Sam, looks like you've been shopping with Kat. How'd it go?" Brendan asked, looking innocent.

Translation: "We got you back sooooooo good Sam."

"Yeah, you look tired. Did Kat drag you all over the city? I wonder how she knew where to shop?" Nick said, staring at the ceiling.

Translation: "If I look at you, I'll laugh. We are evil man, so steer clear of us."

"Yeah, she took me a lot of places. But I did get one good thing out of it." I said, dumping the bags on my bed above Brendan's head.

"Yeah? What'd you get?"

"Arsenic."

A few hours later, I looked in the mirror. Surprisingly, I liked this outfit better than my last one. The last one was just jeans and a blue hooded top. This one was different, but not that much.

I had a blue hooded top, but it was sleeveless. It went over a lighter blue top with purple sleeves, it kept you warm when it was cooler than normal and was cool enough in hot weather.

Then I had on calf length jeans, blue of course. Apparently blue is my best colour, according to the three fashion saleswomen and Katrina. My hair was now kept out of the way with a head-band sort of thing, kinda like the thing that Tracy wore in the cartoon of Pokemon. Katrina had wanted me to get a hair-cut, but I drew the line at that.

On top of that, some better things had happened at the shop. I received my contact lenses that let me decipher Pokemon body language, I had put them on immediately.

Katrina had finally made me get two wrist-bands, which had the added purpose of being thick enough for warmth and had the bonus feature of having a pocket in the underside of it, big enough for me to hide my TWT, which I had swiped from Kat when she had her back turned.

She had also tried to get me another ear-stud, but I refused that too. And for reasons known only to her, Kat got me a necklace that had a Lapis Lazuli in it. Beside it being my birth-stone, Lapis Lazuli was really good at storing Psychic Energy. They even gave your powers a boost, which was how I had managed to get my TWT back. I had teleported it from her pocket after we had gotten the necklace.

Shoes were the last thing we got to, Kat gave up going in the Boys section after two minutes, trying to cram my feet into shoes that wouldn't have been big enough for a newborn. After I had told her that I was in the men's size of shoes fifteen times, she finally got the hint and dragged me there.

In the end we had gotten shoes that were, guess, blue on the main part and red at the sides. The laces were white though.

Someone knocked at the door to the bathroom, I narrowed my eyes at the door using the mirror, and the door swung open, revealing Brendan.

"Sam, me'n Nick are going to a club we saw earlier. You wanna come?" Brendan asked, leaning on the side of the door, smirking at me. I flashed my eyes at him and gave him my best Death-Glare-a-la-Royale ™.

"I'll pass. I hate loud noises." I said, scratching the back of my neck, and found the tag of the new shirt. I grabbed it and ripped it off. I hated these things as well; they made me itch all the time.

And it was true about loud noises, my parents couldn't take me to Movies when I was younger, I screamed all the time from the noise.

"Hmph. You lose." Brendan said, before turning away.

I rolled my eyes, before something occurred to me.

"Brendan, come back here for a sec." I called out to him. Turning away from the mirror and walking for the door. He hadn't gotten far, just half-way across the room. He'd turned back and now stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed.

"What?"

I walked up to him and put my index fingers on his temples. I shut my eyes, and quickly connected my mind to his. As soon as I was done, he jerked out of my hold. I raised my eyebrow. Brendan, in the meantime, felt his temples.

"What'd you do?" He asked, rubbing his head.

"I connected my mind with yours, so that way, if you get in trouble, you can just call for help. And if it gets really bad, I can see through your eyes and do whatever I need to. And I'll be able to detect your strong emotions." I said, turning away and jumping up onto my bed. "That reminds me; send Nick in so I can do the same to him."

Brendan walked away, muttering something about red-heads who had no respect for other's privacy. I grinned, and reached for my bag to grab the book I had been reading on the way to Arw.

I looked at the cover, '_The Tower of Darkness_', shrugged and opened to the page I had dog-eared.

Nick came in, making as much noise as he possibly could, and walked up to my bed.

"What'd you want? Brendan said you wanted me, but he didn't say anything else." Nick asked, leaning against the bed. I rolled my eyes again, lunged suddenly and did the same thing I had done to Brendan. It was over before Nick had the sense to jump away.

When he asked what I had done, I told him the same thing I had told Brendan, and Nick pretty much reacted in the same way.

I smirked to myself and settled down for a good read.

7:43 pm, Pokemon Centre>

I sighed again. It would be daylight for about another hour, and I wanted to train. I'd just gotten Artemis and Zeus back, when Nick and Brendan had refused to allow me back in my room. Now I was stuck, pacing in front of the door. I didn't dare try using my powers again; otherwise I'd be drained and unable to do anything.

When the door clicked open, I glared at it. "Finally, how long does it take just to-?"

I stopped, and back out of the room quickly, back into fresh air, I rammed into Katrina, who took one sniff and did the same.

"Guys, you're wearing enough deodorant to choke a Miltank." Kat said, covering her nose.

"Trust me, it's probably not the first time." I assured her quietly. "For their age, they think deodorant makes you a lady-killer. They won't even notice, I bet you. If you think this is bad, try going into a change room just after P.E."

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Kat told me, her nose still covered. "So, it's normal for their age?"

"You got it. If you think this is bad, try passing twelve year olds at school. THEY wear enough deodorant to choke Mew himself."

"It makes me sick to think about it." Kat retorted. By now, we were out in the corridor. I flicked my fingers at the door, shutting it, and cutting off the smell. Then Kat and I breathed in huge gulps of air.

"Remind me to get a separate room from them next time." I told Kat, she nodded in agreement. When we could breathe again, we stood up. I walked forward slowly, drew in a deep breath, and rushed into the room, past Nick and Brendan and opened the windows fully. When a huge guest of wind came in, I released my breath.

"Less deodorant next time guys." I told them, gasping. When they looked at me blankly, Kat threw me a 'Wow, you were right' glance.

_See, I told you. Luckily, at my age, we've realised that one spray is enough._ I told Kat mentally. But then I thought back to some of my friends at school. _Most of us anyway._

_I get the point._ Kat replied, sounding annoyed in her mental voice. _Now quit bringing it up._

I backed out, irritated. I just wanted to press my point.

"Ok, guys, the aim of going to a club is to attracted woman." I said, looking at each of them in turn. "Not choke them!"

"How're we gonna choke them?" Nick asked, sounding confused. He looked all over himself, looking for anything gruesome or disgusting.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it." I said, walking over to the Anticairon egg. It wobbled occasionally now. I checked the heat that the Egg Container was giving it, before jumping up on my bed again.

"Just remember guys, give me a yell if you get into trouble.

"Yes Sam." Brendan droned, sounding like a child saying hello to his teacher. I gave him a warning glare, and turned to Kat. "So, what're you doing?"

She shrugged. "Staying here, I guess. I don't really feel like partying tonight."

"Ok. I was wondering, to see if I needed to link you to me as well." I said, before turning back to Nick and Brendan. "And just remember, the Centre closes at 11:30."

"Sam, we know." Nick said, getting up and walking to the door. "You don't need to keep reminding us. If I had my way, you wouldn't even be connected to me."

"Don't worry." I said cheerfully. "I'll take it off you then."

"Good."

"AFTER you come back." I said with a smirk, picking up a new book. I'd already finished my other one. I held the record at school for reading. This one was called '_Worlds Apart_'.

Nick and Brendan left the room, after they had each thrown me several death glares. I ignored them and turned to the first page of the book.

When they had fully gone, I looked up. The smell had gone as well, and I fully intended to train until sunset.

"Hey, Kat. Wanna go to that park across the road?" I asked, looking out the window. It wasn't really a park, it did have playground equipment, but it was mainly used for Pokemon Battles, since it had several trees, many dirt patches, grass and a pond. There was also the added bonus of the Pokemon Centre being across the street.

"Hmph, nothing better to do." Kat said from her bunk. She flipped over onto her stomach and dug into her bag, extracting some Potions. I'd picked up her Pokemon for her when I'd gotten mine. "Ok, let's go!

A few minutes later, we were in the Park. Our arrival was shown by almost every kid in the park flocking to its North Entrance. I looked around, in shock, and then smiled. "Ok, who wants to battle?"

My offer was met with cheers, and soon after, I was involved in a battle with a Bug Catcher. He used a Caterpie, Wurmple and a Spinarak. They were easy enough to beat, being at low levels, but Artemis ended up being poisoned. That was easily fixed with an Antidote.

The next challenge was harder, against a Bird Keeper. His Pidgeotto wiped out Artemis, but it fell to Zeus's Thunderbolt. His next Pokemon, a Pidgeot, much to my surprise, won the battle by blowing Zeus away completely.

I took Artemis back to the Pokemon Centre, where he was healed quickly. Since he hadn't been healed for a while last time, it had taken ages for all his injuries to heal, this time it was almost instantaneous.

By the time I'd gotten back to the park, Kat had defeated three trainers. I lunged back into the battles, winning another two, but losing three. By then, it was just after sunset.

I sighed again, I felt much better. Artemis had perfected a move we had created together, yet another one, and learnt another one naturally. Zeus tried out his Thunderdance, but that failed.

Before I had gone to the park, I'd had $1500 on my Trainer Card, now I had $1200, not bad, considering I'd lost a few battles.

Katrina, on the other hand, was much happier. Drogan the Dratini had learnt Leer, and Dirden had learnt Icy Wind. She'd started with $3150, and ended with $4290.

"Nice night." I said, looking up at the sky. It was harder to see the stars, with all the light from the city, but you could see some. It was also just warm enough, with a slightly cold wind occasionally.

"Meh. Don't really care about it." Kat said, swinging on a swing. Most of the Trainers had gone home for dinner, which sounded like a good idea right now.

"Hey!"

I turned. There was a girl running towards me, waving her hand. Blond hair waved in the wind from her running. She pulled up short of me, I jumped back in fright.

"Are. You. Sam. Sapphire?" She said, panting as she hung onto her knees, before straightening up. Mutely, I nodded my head, if my eyes were hanging from my head, I wouldn't have been surprised.

"Good. I heard that you might be able to beat me." She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I'm Crystal, by the way."

"Hi." I stammered. "So, you wanna battle?" _How about a date after that?_ I said mentally.

_Well, I dunno. It all depends._ Crystal's voice filled my head. I knew I blushed, I hadn't known she was Psychic.

_Depends on what?_

_On wether you can beat me._

_Bring it on_. I said, jumping back, and releasing Artemis. He yawned, and turned to face me.

"_Sam, can we go yet? I'm sick of battling._" He asked, not noticing that he was in a battle. A flare of light from behind him caught his attention as Crystal released an Igglybuff.

I looked at it in exasperation. An Igglybuff? But then I realised that if she was waging a date on the outcome, it must be tough. I thought quickly.

"Artemis! Quickly, block your ears with mud before it can sing!" I called out, pointing to the pond, where mud lay in excessive amounts on the banks. Artemis literally dove for the bank, covering himself in a fine layer of mud, just as the Igglybuff started singing. I don't think there were words in the song, but then again, I was almost asleep at the fourth note.

I shook my head, and started pinching my arm, to keep myself awake. I vaguely registered Artemis letting loose a Water Stream, straight in the Igglybuff's mouth. The singing stopped, but Artemis didn't stop the stream of water. It slowly filled the Igglybuff, until I could actually see the Igglybuff growing. I suddenly realised why: Igglybuff was a balloon Pokemon!

"Ok, Artemis, stop using Hydro Stream, NOW!" I called.

Artemis's reaction was immediate, he cut the flow of water, and just like an untied balloon, the Igglybuff shot back, propelled by the massive stream of water gushing from her mouth. She kept going backwards, until she connected with a tree, shaking lose a few Pineco, who promptly exploded.

I blinked in surprise, Pineco were rare, everywhere else but in Dictioy. But it was still hard to find one.

Crystal rushed up to her Igglybuff. "Diva, are you ok? She asked, picking up her Igglybuff and cradling her. "It's ok; I'll get you to a Pokemon Centre." And, forgetting about the battle at hand, rushed across the street and through the doors of the Centre. I looked in the direction she'd gone, wondering if our battle was over or not. I took out my Trainer Card, just in time to watch my $1200 turn into a $1900. I shrugged.

Behind me, Katrina laughed. I looked back at her, as she struggled to cover her mouth to smother her giggles. "What?"

She burst out laughing again. "You, you looked like a lost little Growlithe just then."

I glared at her, and I knew I was turning red. With another glare, I returned Artemis and walked over to the Pokemon Centre, Kat's laughter still ringing in my ears.

11:24 pm, Pokemon Centre, Room 23>

I was lying on my bed, yet again, reading. It did feel good, to be able to lie down and reading instead of walking and reading, an ability that many people had, I'd discovered.

Kat came through the door, her forehead furrowed as if she was thinking. She looked at the ground as she walked, and then jumped on her own bed.

I peered over my book at her, her laughing at me before forgotten. "What's up?"

Kat looked over at me. "It's Nick and Brendan. Shouldn't they be back by now?" She asked, tracing a design on the blanket of her bed with her finger. I thought for a moment as well, when I realised she was right. And curfew was in five minutes. With a sigh, I lay down my book and sat up, shutting my eyes and stretching for the connection between my mind and theirs. I opened the connection just a crack, and was overcome by a feeling of nausea. I opened my eyes, and lurched for the bathroom, almost throwing up on the floor.

When I came back to the room, Kat looked at me curiously. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and felt for the connection again. This time I didn't open it, just traced it in the general connection. It lead South-East, towards the Party District of the city. I opened my eyes again and frowned. What had they gotten up to?

I grabbed my backpack and started out the door, Kat appeared behind me, doing the same. I turned to her. "Why're you coming?"

"Is that a trick question?" Katrina asked, bustling past me. I shook my head again and followed her. "And if it is, I'm just not gonna answer it. I'm gonna help you get Nick and Brendan. I saw your face, you know there's something wrong."

I winced. My face was usually easy to read. We kept running, but were brought up short when we saw that Nurse Joy had shut and locked the doors of the Centre five minutes early. I glared at the doors, and grabbed Kat's arm, teleporting us to the other side of the door. _I love my TWT, I love my necklace, I love my TWT, I love my necklace._ I thought to myself silently. The Lapis Lazuli in my necklace was definitely helping. Normally I'd be at least a little dizzy from teleporting.

We ran to the corner, and I crossed the road, heading in the direction that Nick and Brendan were. It'd be too risky, teleporting to where they were. I'd probably end up teleporting into their bodies. It had happened before, so it can happen.

It took us about 15 minutes, but Kat and I ended up outside a nightclub, _The Skittycat Club_, I gazed blankly at the sign, and then came to my senses. "Kat, you can protect yourself, right?"

She nodded to my question, question filling her eyes. "Ok then, do you have anything with you that REALLY means something to you?"

She nodded again, and finally caught onto me. She dug into her bag, extracting some jewellery, a few pictures, and to my amusement, a stuffed and battered Teddiursa. I nodded and stowed them in my pack, and started shimmering as I raised a protective bubble around myself. I focused it hard enough so that it came into contact with my skin, so I was basically wearing a bubble suit.

I nodded to Kat, and we both entered the club.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Clubbin'

_There's no time to question my moves,_

_I'll stick to the path that I choose._

_Me'n my friends are gonna do it right,_

_You'll never see us run away from a fight._

_To be a Master is my dream,_

_All I've got to do is believe._

_I've got a chance to win,_

_I'm on my way to victory._

_I can be a Champion,_

_If I just believe._

_I'm on a Master Quest,_

_I want the whole world to see that I believe._

_I'm gonna be the family best,_

'_Cause all I've got to do is believe in me!_

_Pokemon!_

Kat's Point of View 

12:01 am, 27th of Echotrance 

The Skittycat Club 

Sam had gone off, mingling throughout the crowd. Well, as much of a mingle as you can when you're wearing a big blue bubble. As for me, I was wandering around, hoping to find Brendan and Nick. I personally knew what Nick had probably done: When you became a trainer, you got all the rights and privileges of adults. I'm guessing he and Brendan entered the club with their Cards. And after that, they ordered drinks, drunk them, and got completely smashed. Either that, or they had their drinks spiked.

As I made my way through the crowd, I felt several pairs of eyes on my back, people wondering why I was here, or thinking that they'd be able to take advantage of my size. I wouldn't mind seeing them try, my Martial Arts Master, Koga, had been very specific. I wasn't allowed to learn anything new until I perfected everything I already knew.

The first problem came when some guy thought he could come close and try and grope me. He went again, with a lesson: gripping someone on the veins in their wrist hurt.

The second was, that I'd lost sight of Sam. Not exactly a good thing to do, when the guy didn't know anything about defending himself physically. What if he met someone with stronger powers than him? Or worse: Someone with stronger powers than him that wants to do him harm.

I looked around anxiously. I'd have expected to have stumbled over an arm or leg of one of the two, but I hadn't. I hadn't even heard the sound of Nick's drunken singing. Not a pretty sound, I can tell you that much.

"Did ja' see that them kids that were her' e'rl'er, aye m'te?" A drunken slur hit my ears, and I quickly saw who was speaking. A man that looked like he'd been here for around a year or so, and that was simply judging from his looks. I'd hate to smell his breath. "You's now, th'm k'ds that drankin more'n me?" He was talking to a friend of his, that looked almost the same as himself. They must've seen Brendan and Nick, because I didn't know about many other people our age that were here. Not to mention, that most of the people that had been chosen were more trusting than Nick and Brendan. It was then that I remembered Nick's Trainer Card and I swore. He had a fortune on there, anybody getting it would be filthy rich. And I didn't even want to think about how much alcohol they could have gotten.

"Yer, that'n kept on buying more'n'more drinks? They's got leds aways by that Filencia, didn' they's?" The second man asked, swinging his arms around in a sort of drunken dance.

The first man nodded, and I instantly rushed off in search of Sam. I found him, surrounded by a large crowd of people, throwing things at his bubble, and laughing as they bounced off. Sam just stood there, his arms crossed, and looking like angry Gyarados. They must have been throwing things for a while, owing testament to the piles of stuff around Sam. I pushed to the front of the crowd, deflecting angry swipes and drunken kicking. When Sam saw me, he nodded to me and pointed to the door. I nodded, and made my way back through the crowd towards it.

Almost as soon as I got to it, Sam teleported there. A loud groan of disappointment sounded behind me, and I grinned slightly.

"Spoil all their fun next time Sam." I said, a reprimanding look on my face that disappeared as I let out a small chuckle. Sam just threw me a dirty look, and crossed his arms again.

"Believe me, it all but breaks my heart to have done that, but we did have something to do here." He retorted, shedding the bubble and looking down his nose at me. "Now, did you learn anything? I know I didn't. Even that bartender is drunk. Probably the most sober person here is that guy." He pointed to a man, passed out under the table next us. I raise and eyebrow, and then shrugged. It was true.

"Yeah, I heard some drunks talking about some young people that had come here earlier, A.K.A Nick and Brendan." I said, pointing out the men to Sam. They were visible from here, because they'd started dancing on top of a table. "They were lead away by some woman called Filencia." _And I bet I know why they were lead._ I thought to myself privately.

"Ok, now we need to know where they were lead to." Sam said, sucking on his bottom lip in thought. "If we asked some of the more sober people we might-" He stopped suddenly, turning a green I'd only seen in rotting meat. He swallowed suddenly, obviously fighting the urge to vomit. "Ok, they are that way." He said, pointing towards the wall directly away from us, and to a small door I hadn't seen. I probably wouldn't have seen it if Sam hadn't pointed it out to me.

"So, you wanna teleport, or shall we walk?" I asked, in a cheerful voice, which earned another dirty look from Sam.

"How about, I'll teleport, and you make your way there?" He said, and without waiting for an answer, he disappeared. I looked towards the door in time to see him reappear in a sapphire flash. I gritted my teeth and swore vengeance against him. I slowly picked my way through the crowd again, dodging fists, feet, groping hands, and sometimes snapping a thumb or two.

By the time I got to the door, I was hot and tired. I vowed to get Sam back for this at some point. I DID NOT DESERVE THIS!

_You do, because you stole his TWT earlier and took him shopping._ A small voice said in my head, one that was almost overpower by a louder voice, which said. _I don't, and I'm gonna snap a few bones and tear a few muscles when I see him._

"Oh, wonderful." I muttered to myself. "I'm hearing voices in my head."

I slipped silently through the door, stepping in a way so that I wouldn't make a sound: place the heel down slowly, followed by the top part of the foot and then the toes. This way, I was more like to startle someone, than they were to startle me.

The room was dark, but I could clearly see Sam, kneeling over the two unconscious figures of Nick and Brendan. I walked to Sam's side and examined Nick. His pulse was ok, so I opened his mouth to see if anything was blocking his breathing. Big mistake. The stench of alcohol rolled from his mouth like a person rolled from an 'All you can eat dessert buffet.' I shut his mouth quickly, and turned to Sam.

"You know, after that, I think I prefer the smell of their deodorant."

He gave me a small smile. "You sure about that? Just remember, you and I will never let the out of our sight in a city again. Their deodorant is all the time." He thrust his hand into the pocket of Brendan's jacket, and then into the pockets of his jeans. "His Trainer Card isn't here, check for Nick's."

I did so, and turned back to Sam with a grim look on my face. Looked like our woman Filencia had gotten away with them. "Sam, didn't they have their Pokemon with them?"

His eyes widened, and he thought for a second, before nodding, his face pale. I swallowed and made a quick decision. "Sam, teleport them back to the Pokemon Centre. MAKE SURE they get helped. I'll stay here, don't wait for me." I said, standing up and searching all of the flat shelves that were within my reach. There weren't many, I can tell you that.

"No, you're coming with me." Sam said, standing up as well. I could tell that he was trying intimidate me into doing as he said, but I ignored him.

"Sam, you're the only one that can make sure they get somewhere safely. I'll stay here and see if I can find Filencia, and possibly get their Cards and Pokemon back. Sam, don't make me hurt you, I've done it before, and I'll do it again."

I stared him down until he nodded. He knelt again, grabbed Nick's and Brendan's arms and disappeared. I quickly hid all traces of me and Sam being here. After that, I hid.

I didn't have to wait long, a woman and a man stumbled through the door.

"Richard, I'm quite sure you'll be more than happy with these two-. Where are they?" The woman – Filencia – demanded. I was hidden in my hiding spot, a very dark corner, when I saw Filencia's clothes flatten against rectangular things in her pockets. I bit my lip, and saw that she also had a key around her wrist. There was a locked cabinet in the corner, could the Pokemon be hidden there?

They could be, but right now I wanted to try my hand at pick-pocketing, another skill Koga had taught me. I shuffled silently until I was behind Filencia, who was just standing there, her arms crossed. I waited for the perfect opportunity, and it came. She turned to the side, making the cloth of her jeans wrinkle and the pocket bulged open slightly. I went as quickly as an Arbok, my hand darted in and out, and in it, two Trainer Cards. I sank into the shadows of my corner again, thanking Mew that I loved wearing black, I was practically invisible in this room.

It was now that Filencia moved, she looked under the bed in this room, and then under the cabinets. I moved quickly into a narrow beam of light from the door and looked at the Cards. One was Brendan's, I noted with relief. The other belong to a 'Patricia Bennet'.

I frowned and looked carefully at Filencia again. She'd turned, so I could see her other pocket in her jeans. It too had a rectangular shape in it, but this pocket must have had about five Cards in it, the pocket was that pronounced.

I glared at her pocket and looked up. There was a shelf above me, it was suspended by some small jutting screws. And they didn't look secure. I grinned, all I needed was a distraction! The Richard guy had left when Filencia hadn't fulfilled her promise, so I could get away with it most likely. I felt in my pockets, but came up with nothing. So, I felt around my body, my hands coming to rest on my neck. I had a string necklace, one made from braided strings. I sent a quick apology to the friend that had made it, but I untied it, and took it apart. In the end, I had three strings. I tied them together, and then to one of the nails near the end of the shelf. I then snuck along the wall, and pulled on the strong, fleeing quickly into the nearest corner as the shelf fell with a crash, getting Filencia's attention. She marched over to it, and bent down. Now was the moment, I dashed to her and put my hand in her pocket, grabbing everything in it and shoved them into mine.

The feel of the Cards leaving her pocket made Filencia turn, where she was greeted with the sight of me with my hand in my pocket. I grinned a hello, and punched her in the nose, my vengeance for making me stay here. She staggered back, and fell, her nose covered by her hands. And then she let out a growl, she scooted forward on her knees, just for me to kick her in the forehead. She went back again, her eyes wide. This was a woman that didn't like pain, I could tell that. She let out a screech that would have done a Sneasel shame. I rushed forward, taking my beanie from my head and shoved it in her mouth, silencing her. I then grabbed the key from her wrist, the chain snapping, and went to the corner with the locked cabinet. I opened it, inside were a few bottles of alcohol, and there, on the bottom shelf, was about twelve Pokeballs. I opened my pack and shoved them in, running out the door while doing my bag up. Filencia was outside, with the bartender, pointing to her door. I quickly fled for the door, not wanting anymore trouble than I'd had for one night.

1:13 am, Pokemon Centre 

I pounded on the door to the Pokemon Centre, eager to get back into the heat of a building and wanting a shower. I'd slipped on the way in something, and gone down face first into a large pile of mud and sludge. It opened suddenly, and I saw Sam standing there. He sighed with relief and let me into the Centre. Nurse Joy was there, looking at Nick and Brendan, who were lying on some long, padded seats in the lobby. And, to my surprise, there was an Officer Jenny, looking stern.

"Finally. Did you get them?" Sam asked, walking beside me after he'd shut the doors to the Centre. I nodded, not wanting to talk with this all over my face, just in case a lose bit decided to obey gravity at this point. "You know, you smell like a sewer."

_I feel like one too._ I thought silently. I put down my pack, and pulled out the five Trainer Cards that Filencia had, and gave them to Officer Jenny.

I then took off for our room, the urge for a shower overcoming the urge to talk to Officer Jenny about Filencia and that club.

Sam's Point of View 

I watch Kat take off for our room, and then turned to Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, who both had looks of question on their face. "She's kinda shy, not to mention she probably wants a shower. So, how're our drunks?" I pointed to the two. Brendan was now on his side, drooling onto the seat and snoring. Nick was just snoring, a snore that would do a Snorlax shame, and plenty of it.

"They'll be fine. But they had something other than alcohol, which is why they're like this right now." Nurse Joy said, rolling Brendan back onto his back. "We suspect they had their drinks spiked, and then they were dragged away by this Filencia."

"So, I can stop worrying about them then?" I asked, thinking about what I'd have to do with their Pokemon later today. I was gonna go to the Gym, but I'd need to see if I could get away from my Poke-Sitting duties.

"Yes, but, I wouldn't let them have any alcohol for a while. They'll just sleep this off; they should be ok in a day or two." Nurse Joy explained. Officer Jenny was just sitting there, writing notes. I nodded.

"Don't worry, when I'm through with them, they won't even want to here the word 'bar'." I said. I was fairly inventive when it came to revenge. And I meant it, should they even think of an alcoholic drink, they'd soon be under a table, crying.

"Fine. We'll move them to their beds, but, if I were you, I'd spray something in their mouths, unless you want to be gassed out." Joy said, and she clapped her hands. Instantly, three Chanseys appeared, carrying stretchers. Nick and Brendan were loaded onto them, and then I helped one of the Chanseys carry a stretcher into our room.

Katrina was in the shower, so I dug throw my pack for some breath-freshening gum. I opened Brendan and Nick's mouths and put in a stick, and then made them chew it by using telekinesis, making sure they didn't choke. I knew I'd thank myself in the morning. That done, I quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and got up on my bed, sleep came quickly.

10:45 am, Pokemon Centre 

I was surrounded by several Pokemon, mostly Fire types. I knew that I'd regret looking after all of them! Katrina had gone to challenge the Gym, while I looked after everyone. We had a schedule, I'll look after them in the morning and she'll challenge the leader, in the afternoon, we'd swap.

I breathed in, feeling stressed, and switched to my baby-sitting mood, the one I put on whenever I was looking after my siblings. That mood had a voice that guaranteed obedience.

"QUIET!" I roared, there was instant silence as all the Pokemon turned to look at me. "Ok, guys, we need to be a bit quieter. How's this sound, if you're all good, we'll go to the Pokemon Park, ok?"

The Pokemon Park was a Park designed to host Pokemon and children. Everything was fire-proof, ice proof, almost everything proof. It was safe for kids, because only Trainer's Pokemon were allowed there. And sometimes a few wild, but they were rare.

My idea was met with instant uproar. Several Pokemon wanted to go, but a few didn't. I ended up pulling a vote, and we ended up going to the park.

I was **_NOT_** going to trek across a city surrounded by several Pokemon, so I put them all back in their Pokeballs, apart from Artemis, who decided he wanted to go on my shoulder, a favourite place of his.

I eventually got to the park, after nearly being hit by at least five cars, mugged, and all other sorts of pleasant things. The gate to the park, the Trainer's entrance, needed my Card, so I swiped it through. The door opened, and inside, was a room with a coffee machine, magazines, some food, sink, basic things to keep me amused while my Pokemon played with kids. I went through a second door, back out in the open, and was met with instant approval by the kids in the park. There had only been on Zigzagoon in here before, I could see it on the slide. I shrugged and reached into my pack, grabbing Nick's and Brendan's Pokeballs, throwing them all out. The Pokemon appeared, ready to play. I surrender my Pokemon to the kids as well, and went to sit on an unoccupied bench near the park. I was followed by Sparx and Artemis. Sparx was upset when his master wouldn't wake up, no matter how he was shocked, so he felt like being comforted a lot. Artemis just came because he didn't like having his fins and feet pulled.

"You know, it might get you some exercise if you went and played." I told Artemis.

"_Well, I could also go and have my teeth pulled out. I bet it would be just as much fun._" Artemis retorted, grinning up at me.

I sighed again. "Well, you're right." I said, watching as a young kid poked Zeus, and jumped away screaming when his finger went right through the cloud Pokemon. Ze us only grinned and went to float above the small pond in the park.

Chicken was being chased around by about four young boys, who were shrieking in delight. Chicken just cackled in fear and kept running.

Flare the Slugma was oozing its way up the underside of the slide, oblivious to the fact that he was losing small pieces of himself.

Vixen the Vulpix had started a game of tag with the Zigzagoon, she ran around the pond, yelling. "Nah nah, can't catch me!"

Burn the Numel, he was being taken down the slide by a small girl, and he was giggling. All the Pokemon here were in their baby forms after all.

Blaze the Torchic was chasing after the group of kids that were chasing Chicken, he tripped over occasionally on small pebbles, and was clearly enjoying himself.

Woody the Treecko was up a tree, looking for some small insects to eat. I saw him muttering to himself as he sorted through the leaves of the tree.

Storm, the Mudkip, she was in the pond, swimming in circles. She was playing with Zeus, trying to shoot him down as he dodged. A lage group of kids kept running to where the spray would land, giggling as they were showered. I noticed Artemis watching Storm, following her every move. I smiled and looked down at Sparx.

He was the picture of misery, black ears down, his small, short tail drooping and his head hanging. I bit my lip, wondering how I'd be able to cheer him up. I then grinned. My siblings loved it when I did this.

I grabbed Sparx suddenly and threw him up in the air, catching him with my powers and started to make him zoom around the park, making the kids chasing Chicken stop and chase him instead. Sparx giggled with delight and started sparking small shocks of electricity. I zoomed him around Zeus three times, and then made him dive low so he could reach out a paw and skim the surface of the pond. I then put him slowly on top of the slide, and let him go. He squealed with delight as he rushed down. He shot off the end and into the air, where I caught him and continued our game. By now, Sparx had gotten the interest of most of the kids in the park. Our new game was to help him dodge them as they tried catching him. I made him duck, weave, spin, go high or low to dodge the hands grasping for him. The only safe spot for him was in the centre of the pond, where I made him float sometimes to tease the kids, who stood at the shore and made faces at him.

"Having fun?" A voice asked me. Someone sat down next to me, I turned, keeping my powers on Sparx and looked. It was Crystal, smiling at the picture of Sparx floating on the lake. I nodded and sent him towards the playground equipment, making him perch on the tip of a small house. Keeping him there, I answered.

"His owner has a hangover right now, so I'm looking after him. He was upset before, so, I made him take his mind off of it." As if to prove my point, Sparx started sticking his tongue out at the kids that crowded around the house. Some of the more daring ones tried climbing up on the roof, when I decided to move him. I sent him towards the tree Woody was in, and watch as the kids chased after him, the ones on the roof having to get down first.

"You can tell he's having fun." Crystal said, indicating Sparx. She then felt at her belt and pulled out four Pokeballs. She released Diva, her Igglybuff, a Cleffa, a Togepi and a Pichu, sending them out to play. The kids stopped when they saw Crystal's Pichu, obviously confused. They split into two groups, chasing the two Pichus. Crystal used her powers to make her Pichu do what I was doing to Sparx. Together, we made the kids go up, down, from side to side, in circles, so that they stopped running after the Pichus and started walking after them.

"In the middle of the Pond." I told Crystal out of the side of my mouth. She nodded, and the Pichus zoomed to the centre of the pond, both giggling their heads off. They clapped theirs hands, happy. I made Sparx come back to me, and sat him on my lap. The kids came to me, screeching with delight.

"You know kids, there are other Pokemon to play with." I reminded them, pointing to the other neglected Pokemon. When the kids had gone, I turned to Crystal. "So, why are you here?"

"Me? Oh, I come here every Wednesday, to play with the kids here. The fact that you were here is entirely coincident." She said, flicking her hair over her head. I shrugged and watched my Pokemon carefully. Artemis had gone to the pond, and now he and Storm were putting on a water show. Zeus helped them, using his water talents, so they made some recognisable pictures. A Pokeball, a Pikachu's head, a large lightning bolt, a picture of a water drop, things like that. Soon the kids in the park were calling out things for them to make, and they tried to do their best to make them. A call for a Ratatta ended up looking like a Stantler with a horn on its back.

I looked at my watch, it was nearing to 11:30. I sent Katrina a message, saying where I was. She'd get it when she left the Gym. I sank back into the chair, occasionally making a Pokemon float somewhere else in the park if it looked bored. Artemis and Storm stopped their show and started swimming in circles. I don't know what they were trying to do, so I turned my attention to other Pokemon.

I was starting to get uncomfortable with Crystal's silence, so I was about to ask her a question when Katrina stumbled into the park, looking pleased with herself.

"How'd it go?" I asked her. She smiled, showing me a small badge in the shape of the symbol of fire. It attached to the Gold Badge from Scine Town, so Kat had half of the Smith Badge already.

I smiled and got up. "Artemis, Zeus, you two ready?"

Artemis had managed to create a small whirlpool in pond, with Storm's help. It hadn't been anything to worry about, because of the size of the pond. I'd had to look at them every few minutes. Anyway, the problem with creating the whirlpool was that Artemis couldn't get out. I waited a few minutes, watching Artemis's futile struggle to get to shore, before I picked him up telekinetically and dumped him at my feet. To get revenge for the dumping, he shook himself like a wet Growlithe, spraying me with water. I resisted the urge to kick him and walked out of the Park and onto the street. Zeus had been hovering above me, so I looked up, worried. Nymbis had the habit of raining on people in bad moods. I didn't think I was in a bad mood, but with Nymbis, well, they always knew.

I had to find a City Map in order to find the Gym. Arw was almost counted as a Mega-City, but it was a few hundred thousand people short. There were plenty of places for someone to get lost.

I soon had to return Zeus, for fear he'd get blown away by Monorails, trains, cars and other such things. I knew he had a hard time not being swept away.

Artemis on the other hand, was enjoying himself. He definitely liked sitting on my shoulder. I hoped he didn't expect me to carry him like that when he was a Marshtomp, because there was no way that I'd be able to lift him.

For a city, Arw was fairly quiet. There weren't many screeching of wheels, or screaming of people being mugged. I pondered as to why as I walked along.

The only interesting building I saw on the way was the Pokemon Contest House. I looked at it, wondering what it'd be like to go in a contest. My Mum had been a Pokemon Contestant before she had married. Cestrer had won several Ribbons for Smartness, and Hotspot had won medals for Beauty.

Apart from that, I didn't know if she'd had any other Pokemon that had been contestants. I think she only had Cestrer and Hotspot. I made a mental note to ask her when I saw her again. That reminded me, I was in a city, and I could call her this evening. On that note, I smiled. She'd probably be surprised to hear that I'd won a Badge already. And I fully intended to win it. I started plotting out some strategies, using some of my experience from my Gameboy and Nintendo 64. They didn't have anything on the actual thing, but they helped.

I was so absorbed in plotting, that I almost walked past the Gym, but Artemis asked me where we were going when I was about to. I stopped, and looked up at the Gym.

It was in the shape of a gigantic volcano, and had an Entei and a Moltres battling each other on top. There was a dark bird behind them as well, looking at them in a way that seemed critical. The Gym here in Arw was Fire because there was a legend that had said that Entei and Moltres had met in the centre of the city, and they argued over who had more mastery over fire.

To prove this, they asked Celestrial, the Darkness Bird on the Wings of Council, to judge their contest.

First, Entei set the moon on fire, but Moltres asked Articuno to put it out.

And then Moltres dried up the seas. Entei asked Suicune to fill them up again. In the third contest, both of them breathed down at the Earth, creating two volcanoes which erupted right away. Moltres's volcano had been bigger, but Celestrial had declared Entei the winner, which was why Moltres hated Celestrial now.

You could still see the two 'volcanoes' outside of Arw. But they had been dead for over a thousand years, so people had started to build here and farm in the mineral rich earth, thus creating the start of Arw City.

I looked up at the Gym, and then looked straight ahead at the doors. I sucked in a large breath, and walked forward, pushing open the doors to the first Gym of Dictioy…


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
Fire Fighting

_Everybody wants to be a Master,  
__Everybody wants to show their skills,  
__Everybody wants to get there faster,  
__Make their way to the top of the hill._

_Each time, you try,  
__Gonna get just a little bit better,  
__Each step, you climb,  
__It's one more step up the ladder._

_It's a whole new world we live in,  
__It's a whole new way to see,  
__It's a whole new place, with a brand new attitude,  
__But you've still gotta catch them all,_

_Be the best that you can._

Sam's Point of View>  
Arw City Gym>

There was no turning back now.  
That was my first thought as I walked into the Gym. My second one was, _it's hot! Very hot! Panic overload!  
_I hated heat, and I hated cold. I always had to be comfortable, temperature wise, or I got grumpy.  
By the looks of it, I had to cross a puzzle. I don't know how they make these things, but they do. The stone pillar nearest to me in the lava was blue, and right next to it on the left, the pillar was red. I looked down at the row of pillars closest to me, they were in the order of yellow, green, red, blue, grey and then orange. The next row was the same, except all the pillars had moved over to the right, so where red had been, there was green. The orange one was where the yellow had been. I looked at them all, if it was a puzzle, it was a good one.  
I finally racked up the nerve to jump onto one of the pillars, I chose the blue one, and almost yelled when it started sinking. I jumped from it to the grey on beside it, but it started sinking too. The orange one sank before I jumped back to the beginning. Instantly, the pillars rose from the lava. I scowled at them. I looked again at the rows of pillars. There were seven rows in all; the things that stood out the most were the straight rows of yellow, and the almost straight row of orange. I mused on that, wondering if I should jump on one of those, before I remembered that I'd already jumped on one of the oranges. That left the yellow. I hopped onto it, and hopped back as it sank slowly.  
I gritted my teeth and tried a different approach. I focused more on the pillars, rather than the colours. I bent over as close as I could to one of the pillars. I frowned at it, willing a solution to come out of thin air, but none came. I sighed, and my eyes dropped to look down at the lava, and as they did, I noticed a design on the side of the pillar. It looked like a lightning bolt. I smiled then, now it made sense! I still had two pillars left to try, so I tried the green one, and, as I expected, it sank. I jumped over to the red one, and sighed with relief when it stayed still. I looked at the three options within my reach now: Lightning, Grass and another Fire. I frowned, and then jumped to the Grass one, and sighed when it held. Now I had lightning, fighting, and Grass again. This one was trickier, seeing as Grass wasn't really effective against any of them. I thought for a moment, when a picture of a Hitmonchan came into my mind, a Pokemon Card. I grinned, and quickly jumped to the Fighting, and then again to the Dark. I stopped there. The pillars types started changing; now I could see Fire on a blue pillar, and so on. I looked carefully, and then saw an eye on another purple. The symbol of Psychic types! I leapt to the purple one again. The fighting symbol was on the red, and the poison symbol was on the purple one. I looked at each of them, carefully weighing up differences, in battle Psychic was better than Poison, for reasons unknown, I mused. But Psychic was strong against Fighting, because brains beat brawn, I guess. I thought again, and then jumped to the fighting. Psychics were best against Fighting because Fighting usually had low Special Defences!  
The next one was the hardest, because I had Ice on the yellow, Rock on the Red and Dark on the Green. I sighed with frustration, this one was REALLY hard! I thought hard, weighing up the differences. Fighting is best against, Rock? No, they usually had high defences. Dark? No, they were usually faster and some of them could even use Psychic abilities. Ice? Usually slower, but had high defences and high special attack. I sighed, and picked one out randomly, and jumped to the red one, Rock.  
Once on the large platform, I almost fell over from relief. That was not an experience I wanted to do again, but I'd have to, to get out.

I stood up and wandered to the middle of the Pokeball painted on the platform, looking around for a sign of life. When there was none, I shrugged and called out, "Hello?"

The door at the other end of the platform opened, and out walked, no, _strutted_ a guy in his mid twenties. He had red hair, almost as red as mine, he wore sunglasses and lots of leather clothes. He obviously thought he was cool. I resisted the urge to laugh, and said to him, "Are you the Gym Leader?"

"It's Blair, not Gym Leader, Blair." The guy said, stepping lightly on his stepping stones to the platform. He did it as though it weren't boiling hot magma that flowed beneath his feet. When he saw the look on my face, he smiled and removed his sunglasses, showing green eyes. "Don't worry, it's just tomato soup, heated of course, but it's still close enough in look to lava. So, you wanna battle?"

I nodded, the fear in my stomach gone. I knew I was blushing, I'd been afraid of tomato soup! It would have been funny, if I'd known, but, I hadn't, so there we go.

"Ok, this'll be a two-on-two battle. I pick my Pokemon first, and I'm not allowed to switch." Blair said, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt and twirled it on the end of his finger as it enlarged. I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. I walked to my end of the field, excited. This would be my first Gym battle!  
Just as I got to my end, Blair released his Pokemon, a Magby. I looked at it, startled, and then sent Zeus out. I'd have the advantage of flight here.

"Magma, use your Lava Wave!" Blair said. I frowned, I'd never heard of it, but I countered almost immediately.

"Zeus, Rain Dance!" I called. Zeus started glowing, and clouds appeared on the roof, and it started raining, as a large wave of fire started to flow out of Magma's mouth towards Zeus. The rain making some of the lava turn to rock. "Ok Zeus, shatter it with Thunderbolt!"  
Zeus released his thunderhead, with a boom that made me cover my ears instantly. I saw Blair do the same, but he let go of his ears and pointed at the Magby. "Ok, that didn't work. Sunny Day Magma!"

The clouds on the roof disappeared, and the heat in the room seemed to double. I started sweating, but there should be ways that Zeus could counter this. I wasn't going to make him use Rain Dance again, because Magma would just use Sunny Day again. "Um, Zeus, Water Gun!"

Zeus obeyed, and shot a stream of water at the Magby. The Water Gun seemed smaller than usual, which must have been an effect of Sunny Day, I realised. The Magby was hit full on by the Water Gun, but not much damage seemed to have been done. My mind started racing, I was scrambling for something to do when Magma released another Lava Wave, which hit Zeus right in the middle of his cloud mass. The attack went right through Zeus, but it had hurt him. "Zeus, water isn't gonna work! Try your electricity!"  
Zeus nodded. It was now I realised that he hadn't spoken to me yet. I wondered why vaguely, but that thought soon went as I went back to the battle. "Zeus, try Hydro-electricity!"

This was another move we'd invented together, with help from Brendan. Zeus shot a stream of water at the Magby, and with it, a Thunderbolt attack. The effect was usually devastating, if it hit. It was hard to aim, but I had a feeling that Magma wouldn't expect it. I was right, and it hit, but instead, the electricity seemed to soak into Magma's body. I frowned, this battle wasn't going well, at all.

"So, you're starting to realise why people find this Gym so hard." Blair called out, grinning from ear to ear. "Why don't you give up now, and I won't even take your money!"

I gritted my teeth. Time for an attack that Magma could NOT absorb. I'd only gotten Zeus to use this attack on one other occasion, when battling Hope's Yoryu. "Zeus, Rain of Lightning!"

The clouds on the roof came back again, fast. A cold wind whipped around the room, pulling at my clothes. Artemis braced himself on my shoulder as the winds came and went. The air in the Gym suddenly seemed to crackle, and Zeus was in the middle of it all, glowing a deep, white colour. The clouds on the roof swirling around, the faster they spun, the stronger the wind, until I was forced to use my powers to stay up right. The clouds had grown large in this time, and suddenly rain was released, hissing whenever they hit the Magby's body. And with a sudden cracking, the clouds on the roof opened up, and many, heavy, thunderheads hit the floor of the Gym, and started circling around Magma, who was looking extremely worried. And then the thunder started going in closer to Magma, who eventually was trapped by them all. Black lines created by the lightning showed on the floor, spiralling in, I noted. The thunderheads suddenly came together, and released a blinding flash of light. I'd been prepared for that, so I had covered my eyes, and shut them, which prevented me from being blinded. I opened my eyes and removed my hands, and saw Magma on the ground, knocked out. Zeus was hovering near the roof, panting. That attack had taken a lot out of him. It was like Hyper Beam, after being used, the user had to rest a while.

Once Blair had regained his vision, he returned Magma to its Pokeball and glared at me. "I'm gonna make you wish you hadn't done that. Go, Volcano!" And from the Pokeball erupted a Magmar, the full grown version of Magby. It stood there, its eyes half shut in boredom as it looked at Zeus. And then, with one punch, fire blossoming around its fist, it felled Zeus.

"Great job Zeus, come back!" I said, holding out his Pokeball. I then turned my head to look at Artemis. "You ready?"

Artemis shot me a funny look, but bounded off my shoulder and into the ring. Volcano looked down at him, looking as smug as a Magmar could be. And suddenly, its fist hit the ground where Artemis had been, making a scorch mark. At this rate, the floor of the Gym was going to be completely black. I was actually surprised that it wasn't already.  
Artemis, having fast reflexes, had dashed out of the way as Volcano's fist had come down. Now he retaliated by shooting Volcano from behind with a Water Stream attack. Volcano fell forward, but got up quickly and turned, a large stream of fire spilling from its beak-like mouth as it turned. Artemis ducked, and just missed having the Flamethrower hitting him. I winced as well, but called out to Artemis, "Flood Roll!"

Artemis tucked himself into a ball and rolled forward, knocking Volcano from his feet again. Artemis unrolled quickly, so that he wouldn't get dizzy and jumped up, coming down on Volcano with a Body Slash move, using the water that had been on his body from the Flood Roll to do damage.

"Now, follow that up with a Water Gun!" I called out. I was grinning; Volcano hadn't been able to land a hit yet.

"Volcano, triple strike!" Blair said, his voice easily carrying over the field. Volcano was suddenly up, and with one hit, it punched Artemis towards the ground, and then up in the air, and as he was coming down, a straight punch that made Artemis fly towards Blair. The tables had turned suddenly. Artemis looked like he'd been seriously hurt, and I didn't want him in a position where he might be in real danger.

"Artemis, Rain Dance, and then Water Spout!" The clouds reappeared on the roof for a third time, and then Artemis sprayed the whole field with water. There was no mud, the platform being entirely rock, so that meant Artemis couldn't use Mud Slap. But with water everywhere, Volcano was being hurt by every step it took, and every drop of rain that hit it.

"Volcano, Fire Wheel!" Blair yelled, so he could be heard over the sound of the rain, pattering loudly as it hit the platform. A ring of fire surrounded Volcano, and spread out, drying the rock as it went over the platform, and hit Artemis. Artemis flew back, and landed in the Tomato Soup Lava. I stared in shock, and then made moves to run to where he had gone, when he jumped out of the soup behind the Magmar, and hit it towards the edge of the platform, perilously close.

"_Goodbye_." Artemis said, and shot Volcano with a blast of water, sending it into the soup. Just as it was about to hit the surface, a red beam of light hit Volcano, turning it into energy, and Volcano was sucked back into its Pokeball, the one being held by a scowling Blair.

My heart leapt, I'd won my first battle against a Gym Leader. I'd won my first Badge! I stared in disbelief at Blair, but then remembered Artemis. I ran over to him, where he was panting on he ground and picked him up, hugging him. "Great job buddy." I whispered to him.

And in the middle of all the rain, Blair walked towards me, something red glimmering in his hand. I smiled, and relinquished my strangling hold on Artemis, who clambered up from my arms and onto my shoulder again.

"For beating an Official Gym of Dictioy," Blair rattled off, in a monotone that showed he wasn't happy, and that he'd said this speech many times, "I present to you an Official Badge, the Flare Badge. Wear it with pride, and use it to enter the Diamond League."

I looked at him and raised my eyebrow again. "Thanks." I said, taking the badge from his hand and looking at it, as rain beat down. It looked like the symbol of fire, but curved around a bit more. I took my pack off and opened one of the side pockets, and took out my Badge Case. I opened it, and smiled as I heard familiar songs playing to me. I gently pinned the badge in there, and then put it back.

Blair scowled at me sourly. "I don't know how you did it, but you won. And you messed up my hair. You'd better win the League; otherwise I'll take penance for you messing up my hair." He said, glaring at me. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, so I nodded, and left the Gym, trying not to grin.

The Pokemon Centre, Arw City>  
28th of Echotrance, 11:30 am>

I picked up my pack, and looked down at Nick and Brendan. Today I was leaving, and I had no sympathy for the two of them. They were staying behind; they still needed to recover from their experience. They glared back at me, obviously irritated.

"So, either of you two want to go drinking again?" I asked them pleasantly. I'd already spoken to them about it, and I think I had them intimidated. But just to be sure, I asked them again.

"Yes." Nick muttered to his wall.

"What was that?" I asked, being loud when I asked him. He winced, still not over his hangover. I'd discovered that Nick in particular hated loud noises.

"No Sam, I won't go drinking again."

"Good, because me and Kat aren't gonna be here to get your sorry butts out of your problems." I said to them. Kat had decided earlier this morning that she was coming with me. After winning my Badge yesterday, I'd gone shopping, so I was ready to go. Kat had gone shopping, but she'd called my Poke-Nav to tell me she was on her way back. Artemis and Zeus had needed a night to recover after yesterday, but they were back to normal now, Artemis back on my right shoulder.

I'd received word from Aaron that my Mareep was about half paid off, so if I was lucky, I'd be able to get it when we got to Romanc City, or to Rorroh Town. They were both the same distance from here, and they were almost right next to each other, being separated by a small Route.

Katrina suddenly came bursting through the door, and saw the look on Nick's face at the loud sound of the door slamming. "Oh, sorry. Am I being too loud?" Like me, her voice was being loud just for Nick. With a groan, he lifted his pillow from beneath his head and covered his face and ears with it.

"What was I thinking of, by going there?" I heard his muffled voice saying.

"Physical pleasure."

"Yeah, physical- HEY!" I grinned and ran out the door, just as a pillow slammed into the wall.

Route 274, Dictioy>

I was finally out of sight of the city, and much happier. I'd felt crowded there, being used to smaller towns. The largest city I'd been in before I'd been to Arw had been Rayquaza City, on Southern Island.

I breathed in deeply; glad to be able to smell fresh air, instead of the smoggy stuff in Arw. Katrina walked beside me, I wasn't too sure if she was happy or not, but then again, it was hard to tell her moods just by looking at her face anyway.

"Hey, you there!" A voice caught my attention, and I saw a man in his twenties, running towards us. I stiffened; did he want to hurt us, but he just wanted a battle with Kat. I let her battle, and while she did, I looked at my Pokedex. I hadn't really taken a good look at it yet, and I decided now would be as good a time as any.

I flipped my Pokedex open, and pressed a grey button inside that made the list of Pokemon come up. I clicked on the first Pokemon, and listened as Tetra, my Pokedex, gave information on it.

_Oaseed, the Acorn Pokemon. This Pokemon can be found around oak trees, where they make their homes, waiting for rain. Once it starts raining, they sink their feet into the ground, and start to sprout small twigs and leaves. In this state, they can be easily caught, but it has been found that Floreed caught in this state disobey their owners the most. They have a strict sense of honour, if an enemy is too weak to battle, the Floreed won't attack. When hit from behind, they will use Rage, and then beat the opponent into oblivion.  
__This Pokemon evolves into Ocareen, at level 20. _

I stared dubiously at the picture of Oaseed. It looked a lot like Seedot, but it was a lot darker, and had several twigs coming out of it. And the cap on its head was a golden colour, not grey. All in all, it looked like a healthier version of Seedot. I wondered vaguely if there were any Oaseed around here, but dismissed that thought almost immediately. There weren't any oak trees on this Route.

I clicked on the next Pokemon.

_Ocareen, the Ocarina Pokemon. After absorbing many nutrients and minerals, an Oaseed will evolve to an Ocareen. This Pokemon seems to be hollow in places, thus making musical noises when there is wind. Ocareen from all over the world gather to a spot once a year, in Autumn, and host the great Festival of the Winds, in Nofiton Town. Great storms happen in Dictioy during Autumn, but during the Festival of the Winds, the Ocareen sink roots into the ground to prevent themselves being blown away.  
__This Pokemon evolves to Okora at level 40._

That sounded interesting. My only regret about being in Dictioy now was that it was the middle of Spring, and the chances were that I wouldn't get to hear the Festival of the Winds. I looked up; Drogan was currently battling a Ledyba, the ladybug Pokemon. I shrugged and looked back down at my Pokedex.

Ocareen looked like a big ball, butits fingers were long and thin, and its stomach had holes in it by the looked of it. Its head looked funny, because it was perch awkwardly on top of the round body. A long tube stretch from the top of its head, and it had a big hole in it. To catch the wind, I guess.

_Okora, the Oak Tree Pokemon. It can take up to a hundred years for an Ocareen to evolve in the wild, which is why Okora are rare, but valuable. This Pokemon is able to camouflage itself in an Oak Forest, their preferred habitat, by sinking roots into the ground and shutting its eyes. If it finds a desolate landscape, Okora will shoot many seeds into it, which will grow into Oak Trees or Oaseed, depending on the gender of the parent Okora.  
__This Pokemon's special move is Solarbeam._

I could see why Okora were able to camouflage easily; it looked just like an oak tree, but with feet and eyes. I imagined myself climbing a tree in a forest, only to find out it was an Okora. I grinned at the thought. I'd probably be teleporting everywhere. It was a standard psychic's reaction, when in danger they teleported. Usually only in the same place though.

Some others, like Sabrina in Kanto, or Will of the Kantanese Elite Four, lash out telekinetically. But then again, they were two of the most powerful psychics in the world.

A boom made me look up again. Somehow, Drogan had managed to turn himself red, black and white, the same as what the Ledyba had looked like. Except the Ledyba was an ice blue now. And both were smoking, Drogan fuming slightly as he floated with his small wings. I shook my head and pointed my Pokedex at Drogan. "_Conversion, a signature move of Porygon, but can be used by using Metronome._"

Drogan did look funny, the Ledyba just looked strange. I hoped the effects would wear off after the battle.

_Firfly, the Fireball Pokemon. This Pokemon is mainly born from volcanoes. They are attracted to high heat levels, which are how many of them; evolve into Flasfire, by four Firfly fusing together in a heat wave. This Pokemon has complete control over fire, control that is only shared by its evolved forms and the Fire Legendaries.  
__This Pokemon evolves into Flasfire, at level 19._

The battle between Kat and the other guy was nearly over. Drake was out now, using his newly found Thunderwave to paralyse the other Pokemon, a Spinerak; this guy had obviously come from Johto.

Suddenly, Drake slammed into the Spinerak, sending it towards Katrina. Katrina, in turn, looked stricken, and ducked. It landed just behind her, and it turned around to face her. She stood still, frozen on the spot. I watched curiously as the Spinerak ambled past Katrina, and back into the battle. Drake was there, looking pleased with himself, and he used a Dragon Rage attack. Blue flames came from Drakes mouth and wrapped themselves around the Spinerak. When the flames cleared, Spinerak was on the ground, knocked out.

I smiled, and shut my Pokedex with an audible snap and got up. Drake slithered towards me, grinning. "_Daddy! Daddy, did you see that? I did good!_" Drake said, reaching me and wriggling around. I bent down and picked him up, and laughed as he wriggled in my arms. That _tickled_!

"Yeah, I saw it. Pretty good." I told him. I tickled him on the stomach, and then offered him back to Katrina. She took him back, and smiled slightly as he settled himself around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Katrina looked away. "I hate bugs." She mumbled. "I'm allergic to tons of bug poison; you should see what happens when I get stung by a Weedle."

I thought for a moment and grimaced. Ani was allergic to Beedrills, the one time she got stung by one she swelled up, like a balloon. "Don't worry, I'd just never go to Janera if I were you, it's bug central."

"I know." Katrina admitted, stroking Drake's skin. "I never want to go there, so that's why I'm never gonna go for the International Championship. What I want to do is better. Become the Dragon Master of the World and show Uncle Lance!" She started grinning.

I grinned too, it was pretty infectious.

Route 274, Dictioy, 6:30 pm>

I yawned and stretched. We had started to set up camp, now that it was starting to get camp. We'd each volunteered to do certain jobs, so we did them, trying to stay out of the others way. She set up both of our tents, it was a pretty cold night, while I started to try and light the fire. She had finished her tent and had started with mine when I got impatient. I glared at the fire and stretched out with my powers, and got a faceful of ash when the fire roared out of control, consuming the kindling. I felt for my eyebrows, they were still there, and scowled at Katrina, who was trying not to laugh.

"Mental note: Never try that again." I muttered to myself and went and got some more kindling. We'd already found some suitable sized logs, and had them just waiting to go in the fire. I ended up getting the fire started the old-fashioned way, I used Zeus's spark. Once we had a cheerful crackling going, I got out of Kat's way as she started to make dinner. I had to feed all the Pokemon. I muttered to myself the whole time, something about telekinesis should be used for everything, and not make fires blow up. By the time I'd finished feeding the Pokemon; Katrina had started peeling some carrots. A bunch of peeled potatoes were on a plate beside her. Well, mangled potatoes. I shot them a look, and then retreated to my tent to get changed. The tent was fairly light, for a tent. And if my pack ever got too heavy, I'd levitate it. IF it didn't backfire that is I walked out of my tent, clad in warmer clothes and holding a book. I sat down on one of the logs that were waiting to be used for firewood, and watched Katrina as she tried putting the potatoes, carrots and peas on at the same time as the pasta, IN the same pot. I shook my head, and quickly got some tongs, not overly anxious to use telekinesis right now. All I needed was a potato exploding in my face. I managed to get out the carrots, peas and pasta by tipping them into a large bowl. The potatoes I left in the pot to boil over the fire.

"Kat, a word of advice: Potatoes take longer to cook than carrots and peas." I told her. "Are we going vegetarian tonight?"

"No, I have some mince here, and some gravy mix." She said, pointing to the packets beside her. I nearly slapped my head in irritation. She knew nothing about the kitchen that was clear.

"Ok, Kat, you do the washing up, and I'll do dinner." I told her, and without waiting for an answer, started cooking the things properly. In the end, we did have what Kat intended, a stew of some kind, WITH mince, cooked in a saucepan. I gave Katrina her plate, after serving it out, and put a pot on to boil so that she could wash up. Artemis and Zeus supplied the water.

"You've never cooked before, have you?" I asked Kat, settling down with my meal and started to eat. "B'cause ou don sem very god at it." I mumbled through a mouthful of food. When Kat gave me a strange look, I swallowed my food and repeated the sentence.

She sighed, again. "No, I don't cook that much. The most I ever cooked is popcorn and opened a can of soft-drink."

"Well, we'll need to fix that." I told her cheerfully, ignoring the look on her face. She glared at me, but then turned back to her food. I smiled to myself, but the smile was a fake. _Now what have I gotten myself into?_ I asked myself. I sincerely hoped that Kat was a good cook.

When I finished dinner, I sat among the Pokemon, leaving Kat to do the washing up. Drake slithered into my lap, while I dragged Artemis over to me to get rid of a bit of pond-weed stuck t the bottom of his stomach. Generally have stubs for arms and legs, Artemis hadn't been able to get it. I grabbed it, and gave it to him. With a yawn, I stood up and made my way to my tent as a scream broke the air…


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The Party Grows

_Everybody wants to make a statement,  
__Everybody needs to call their mark,  
__To stand alone in the victory circle,  
__Stick to their claim as the music starts._

_Give it all you've got,  
__You can be the very best ever.  
__Take your best shot,  
__All that you've learnt will come together_

Route 274, Dictioy, 8:45 pm>

Sam's Point of View>

Katrina, who had been muttering to herself as she washed the dishes, stood up quickly and got into a ready position. My hand plunged beneath my shirt, to turn my TWT up to full power in case I needed it. When we weren't attacked, I took a step towards a grove of trees from where we'd gotten our firewood. The scream had come from there. I looked back at Kat, who was trying to calm a frantic Drake.

**_Kat, stay here while I take a look._** I told her telepathically. She nodded, her hands full of a squirming Dratini.  
At school, my friends had often commented at the way I could disappear and reappear without notice. It was because I could walk quietly at will, which I did now. I took a step towards the trees, and then broke out into a several, silent, strides, each one taking me closer towards the trees. Inside, it was dark, I could barely see my hand when I waved it in front of my face.  
I was almost not breathing, for fear that I'd make a sound. Twigs snapped occasionally beneath me, but I remedied that my putting my foot slowly on the ground, instead of fast. Five minutes later, and I was completely in the dark. I made sure to keep going in one direction, so I could go back if I needed to. After a while, I saw a tiny pin-prick of light towards my left. Ignoring all warnings my brain was giving me, I made for it, moving so quietly that whoever was there would have to be an Azumarill to hear me. Up close, the light turned out to be another fire. I glanced curiously at it from the safety of the trees, but my attention was drawn to movement on the other side of the fire. I young girl, who looked to be my age or a little older, was struggling with a man and a woman.  
The adults were both dressed in dark-green outfits that looked black in this light, but I could clearly see the lime green 'F' on their backs. Team Flora members.

I grimaced; this team was the rival of Team Fauna. Team Flora didn't try and set all animal-like Pokemon free, they tried setting all plant-like Pokemon free, while Fauna did just the opposite. By now the girl was on the ground, struggling, and the man started tying her up while the woman took the girl's Pokeballs.

"So sorry love, but you shouldn't have a grass-type team here. You upset our leader greatly dear." The woman said, her voice sounding like an over-bred noblewoman. The woman had bright yellow hair, and the man had dark blue. When they started to get up to leave, I knew I had to intervene. I stepped out of the forest. They saw me instantly.

"Whoever you are, I'd advise you turn around." The man said, pointing a finger at me. I looked at him coldly.

"I am the person that helped bring down the Team Fauna base in the Monarch's Tombstone." I told them, ice falling from my mouth with each word. "Now give the Pokeballs back."  
When they realised who I was, their faces lit up with happiness. I suddenly realised that I must be viewed as a sort of hero in Team Flora since that incident. Oh well, time to break that image.

I crouched down, and pointed my fingers at the two, flicking them. They flew up, and back. I raised my hands, and around 10 Pokeballs floated up. Four of them were green, so I brought them towards me, and caught them. After all, my psychic specialty was transport, moving things telekinetically and teleporting.

I put the Pokeballs in my pocket, and then tried teleporting over to the girl. I misjudged the distance, and ended up teetering on the edge of the fire. I waved my arms, in an effort to avoid falling, and then caught my balanced. The two Flora members were on their feet again, and were regarding me with something that looked like fear. I glared at them "Shoo."

They took off. I wondered what the tale was at their hideout about me. I made a mental note to appear all-powerful in front of any future Team Flora members, so that they might want to avoid my friends and me. I suddenly remembered the girl when she struggled, looking at me with wide eyes. They were hazel, edging more towards green, but only just. I went to her feet and looked at the knot binding the girl, and snorted with laughter. They had tied her up with a Granny-Knot, as it was known in the Scouts. All you'd need to do was to pull one of the strings and the knot would come undone, which I did.

The girl sat up, and gave me her hands to untie. I undid them, the knot on her hands was slightly better, but still ridiculously easy to untie. As soon as her hands were free, she tugged the gag from her mouth. "Thanks."

"No problem." I told her, and put my hand into my pocket, and gave back her Pokemon. She took the miniature balls, and looked down at them, releasing a wail. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

"They took Slasher!" She cried, and released all the other Pokemon. I was suddenly surrounded by Grass and Bug types, none of them poison. A Chikorita snuggled up against its owner, and then came to inspect me. A Venonat was staring at me too, as well as a Ledyba. A Kakuna lay still, inspecting me while it flexed its claws.

"Bugsey, can you see anyone down that way?" The girl asked, pointing in the direction that the Flora members had gone. I smirked; she'd named a Venonat after a Gym Leader. Bugsey shook its head, or body, there really wasn't that much difference.

I looked around, over the heads of all the Pokemon. "C'mon, you'd better camp with my friend and me, in case they come back."

She gave me a look that suggested that she thought I was crazy. "I don't think so! Me and two guys? Imagine what passing people might think!"

I sighed and bit my tongue. "My friend is a girl, ok? NOW will you come? If you don't, I won't be coming back to help you."

"Alright, alright." She said. "Rita, can you start packing up the tent? Bugsey, Star, can you pack up everything else."

She bustled around after that, starting to put out her fire, and packing up her pack. I tapped my foot while I waited, earning a disapproving glare from the Kakuna. I bent down and stayed a fair distance away from it, so it wouldn't get the chance to sting me.

She finally was ready, almost everything in her camp fitted into her bag. I still marvelled at how much those bags could carry. I grabbed her arm, ignoring her cry of protest and lead her into the forest, using my link to Artemis to go in the right direction. I did go in the right direction, right into the pond. I'd let go of the girl as I fell, so she was left perfectly dry on the shore, while I was glaring at Artemis who had surfaced next to me, after I'd almost crushed him with my weight.

"_Hi Sam, why are you in here?_" Artemis asked, wondering why I'd decided to go for a swim this late at night. Over by the fire, Katrina was laughing, along with the girl. I glared at both of them, treading water. I floated out of the pond, and set myself slowly on the bank, dripping wet. Zeus was making a bee-line for me, before he saw the look on my face. Instead, he floated higher, and then started raining on me. I couldn't tell if he was doing it to wash off the pond scum from me, or doing it because I was in a bad mood.

Either way, it got the foul-smelling scum off me. I then walked, dripping heavily, into my tent and got changed. After I'd walked out, I found the girl talking to Katrina, telling her about what had happened. I spied Drake, lying next to Katrina. When he realised I was looking, he opened one eye, smiled, and then shut his eye, going back to sleep. I rolled up my sleeves; even through it was a cold night. I preferred to have my arms free to move. All my clothes had to be baggy, to allow full movement.

I sat down on one of the logs, scratching my arm.

"See, I told you she was a girl." I told the girl. She rolled her eyes and looked at Drake curled up at Katrina's feet.

"Wow, a Dratini. I like them, but I prefer Alavars." The girl said, looking at Drake. I rolled my eyes this time. All we needed was a big-headed dragon-type.

"So, what's your name?" I asked the girl. Artemis chose this moment to bound close to the fire, and nearly rolled into it. I resisted the urge to sigh of exasperation. "Artemis, you realise that if you'd gone in, you'd probably have been cooked instantly?"

There was some chemical difference between wood-fires like this one, and the fire that Fire Pokemon had. It had something to do with hydrogen, oxygen and methane. Either way, Artemis would probably have been cooked if he'd fallen in.

The girl flicked her hair over her shoulder. "My name is Ashlee Botanis. I'm on my way to Romanc, because I'm making a study of Grass-types and their healing powers. Romanc has some rare types there."

Here was something new. A Trainer devoting their Pokemon Team to the study of something. The only thing I knew of herb-lore with Grass-types was that the herbs and spices were usually really bitter. And Pokemon didn't usually like the taste.

"Ok, I'm Sam Sapphire." I said, extending my hand to her. When I saw Kat's look, I answered, "What? We didn't exactly get a chance to introduce ourselves to each other. I don't know why, but I seem to remember Team Flora members running somewhere."

"They would be more useful if they were here." Kat said grimly. "Ashlee will need to report the robbery to the Officer Jenny in the next city. You won't need to worry about Team Flora mistreating Slasher, seeing as he's a bug-type, but if you want us to, we will keep an eye out for the people that took him."

I was startled; I'd never heard Katrina this formal. Not to mention she had drawn me into this without my noticing. "We will?"

"Of course. But we will be accompanying you to Romanc." Kat finished off; setting down the cup she'd been holding. From the look of it, she was drinking hot chocolate, but the smell suggested coffee.

"You know that coffee stunts your growth?" I asked Kat, which was irony in itself seeing as she looked like she'd stopped growing when she'd turned nine. In return, she threw me a dirty look.

"You should set up your tent." Katrina said, ignoring me, and let out a yawn. I stared at her, coffee was a stimulant, so she should really be bouncing around right now. I suddenly yawned, and realised how tired I was as well.

"If you let your Pokemon out, they can sleep with ours." I said, covering another yawn and pointed to the pile of sleeping Pokemon, which included Artemis and Zeus. Drake had slithered over to them sometime during our conversation, so he and Dirden were there too. Rage, the Magikarp, was still in his Pokeball, thank Mew. I couldn't stand Magikarps.

Ashlee nodded, and released her nature types. I stood up, and walked into my tent. I took out my sleeping bag, and managed to crawl into it. Artemis soon joined me; his excuse was that it was too cold. Zeus then came in, followed by Drake, Dirden and then Ashlee's Pokemon. I wriggled around, and found a comfortable position. It was too late for me to begin to wonder why all the Pokemon were in here. But then again, it was getting cold outside, just like Artemis said.

29th of Echotrance, Route 274

A bird cheeping woke me up. I blinked, blearily, at the roof of my tent. Was it morning already? A quick look at my Poke-Nav confirmed it. When I looked around, I saw that I was almost trapped by the bodies of all the Pokemon in the tent. I had to move carefully, so that I didn't disturb them. An angry electrical type isn't something you want to face when you're a human.

Once I was outside my tent, I discovered that I was the only one up. I could hear Ashlee snoring lightly from the direction of her green tent, and Katrina was sounding like a thunderstorm was on its way.

I suddenly realised that, to make breakfast, I'd need to get to my backpack, which I had left in the tent. I scowled, and went back in my tent, avoiding treading on paws, fins, fines and tails, with great difficulty. It's a good thing I'm flexible, otherwise I'd have been blasted with about five different elements at once. My backpack was lying in the corner, in Zeus. Literally in him, he had floated down, so it seemed that there was no pack. I'd had to rely on my memory in order to get it. I stopped for a moment when I got to Zeus, wondering how I'd get my pack without waking him, or any of the other Pokemon. I couldn't teleport it out, mainly because the effects of the past few days was catching up to me, and secondly, he'd feel it if it suddenly wasn't there.

That only left one option: I gritted my teeth and put my hand slowly into the mass of Zeus. It didn't feel like there was anything there, but my eyes knew better. My hand came into contact with my bag by the time my elbow was gone. I grabbed the strap of the bag slowly, and inched it out of Zeus. If I was going any slower, I'd be going backwards. When the bag had half-emerged, Zeus stirred slightly. I froze, not wanting to risk a Thunderbolt being used on me. It took a minute, but he soon settled again. I let out the breath I'd been holding slowly, and continued in getting my bag free.

I emerged from the tent, five minutes later, holding my bag, and finding Ashlee sitting by where we had lit a fire last night.

"Where are Rita and the others?" She asked, looking tired. With my thumb, I indicated to my tent, and then sat down on one of the logs we'd used for seats and set my bag down next to me. I opened the pocket where I'd stowed food and everything else like that. A well-protected carton of eggs was extracted, along with some long-life milk and bread. I looked at the three things I'd gotten, wondering what I could make with them. Katrina's bag was the one with things that could spoil very easily, unless it was cold. We'd agreed that she could carry them, since Dirden liked resting on her pack, just over the food. Since he was an Ice Dragon, he kept the food cold, very cold.

I, on the other hand, carried the stuff like bread, apples, all the things that didn't do bad too quickly. This also meant I carried the small stock of chocolate and sweets.

Inspiration hit my mind and I started bustling around the camp-fire. Ashlee had gotten it started, far more quickly than Katrina or I could have done. I got a bowl from my bag, and cracked open some eggs, and then poured in some milk. Mixing it with a spoon, I got a yellow looking liquid. Dipping in a piece of bread, I soon had a stock of soggy pieces of bread. Once I had used the loaf of bread, I started putting in two bread pieces at a time into the saucepan Kat had washed up last night. By the time Ashlee had gotten up, dressed and was combing her hair, Katrina stumbled from her tent, and the batch of French-Toast was cooked. France was apparently a country from ages ago, but somehow, this recipe had gone down through the centuries, probably in a Kantanese Recipe book.

The Pokemon, revived from the dead by the smell of breakfast, came out and did their various businesses, which mostly involved getting food from the forest or lake, or begging it from us humans. Artemis came back, dripping from the lake, with a stomach that bloated with the plants and bugs he'd eaten. He obviously hadn't had enough, since he gave Ashlee a look she couldn't resist, she gave him a slice of the toast.

"Artemis, if you feel heavier t all, you'll be walking to Romanc" I threatened, before stuffing my mouth with a slice of the toast.

"_You wouldn't do that. I don't know you that well yet, but I do know you wouldn't let a defenceless Pokemon alone in the wild._" He retorted, looking at me squarely in the eyes.

"I'm sure that Surskit you probably ate thinks you're entirely defenceless." I told him. He didn't answer; he couldn't come up with an answer to it. I smirked; I loved beating Artemis in a contest of wits. Me: 31, Artemis: 27.

"Do they often do this?" Ashlee asked Katrina quietly. Katrina nodded, and then jumped as Dirden landed on her shoulder. The cold would have been unexpected, I noted with amusement. It was a play of attention from Dirden, nothing more.

After breakfast, we washed the dishes and carefully put out the fire, using Artemis and Dirden. Dirden had the ability to detect heat, being an ice Pokemon, so he could tell if there were any embers still alive. The tents we packed up in half an hour, taking a while on mine because we had to evacuate a couple of Pokemon.

After we hit the road again, I was quite pleased with our time. Ashlee was being quiet, walking just behind me. Artemis was perched on my backpack, standing up and bracing himself on my head, seeing anything that could be coming up the road. Katrina was looking down as she walked, thinking. I slowed down slightly, so that I was beside Ashlee.

"You're worried for Slasher?" I asked her quietly. She nodded, her eyes watering with kept in tears. I bit my lip, if she started crying I'd be of no help. Instead, she drew in a large breath, and seemed to cut off the conversation completely.

I sucked on my teeth, something easier than it sounds. I started wondering about what they were saying about us at the Team Flora hideout. After last night, not much good I'm guessing. Unconsciously, I started walking without a sound. I did that when I didn't want to be heard at all. A lot of people sometimes forgot I was even there, when I made no noise.

I didn't know much about Team Flora or Team Fauna. Their leaders were both female, which was unusual. Ivy and Syca, nobody knew anything about them past their names.

We stopped for lunch after a few hours, without even a Pidgey to break the monotony. I chewed on my sandwich absently, just thinking.

I'd finished thinking about all the Teams in the world shortly after I'd thought about what I did know of Ivy and Syca. Then I had moved onto thinking of new moves for my Polienix, or Magnetix, to use. I was currently thinking of what strategy to use on the Light Gym, when a flash of reflected light caught my attention. I looked, still chewing on my sandwich, and almost choked. Marching, right in front of me and the girls was a Coperagon!

Coperagons were native to Dictioy, but they were _REALLY _rare, I watched, dumbfounded, as it went to a tree and started sharpening it's nails. The noise was horrible; I gritted my teeth and blocked my ears, when it suddenly stopped.

It had finally noticed us, and in particular, Katrina. She was standing, a poke-ball in her hand.

I blinked, and then grabbed my Pokedex. The only way Katrina could be interested in a Pokemon was if it was a-

"_Coperagon, the Steel Drake Pokemon. Native to Dictioy, this Pokemon is rarely seen. It is popular because of its high defences and few weaknesses. In battle, this Pokemon will scratch its claws down its belly, producing a sound that few things can ignore. _

_This Pokemon evolves at level 35, into Aluminagon; its current level is 11._

I looked up at the Coperagon again. It was short, and squat. A horn on its head promised pain and lots of it to any attackers. Looking at its stomach, I saw several scratches, either from itself or others of its kind. It had no wings, and was made from what looked like copper. Small holes in the side of its head seemed to serve as ears, and a small, rounded snout hid a mouth beneath it.

Its claws were sharp, from the tree it had just scratched no doubt, and its feet had just the same sort of claws.

Dirden suddenly flew from the top of Katrina's bag and landed on the ground in front of the Coperagon with a small thud. The Coperagon bared its teeth, and Dirden did the same.

_Steel – Dragon type, versus an Ice – Dragon type?_ I thought to myself. I thought quickly, and realised that Dirden had the definite advantage. Steel was weak to ice, and so was the dragon half. Each attack would do 4 times the damage, if it was an ice attack!

Dirden started the battle, flapping his wings at the Coperagon and with the wind, went small snowflakes that seemed to come from Dirden. The Coperagon was only just nicked by the Icy Wind, because it had moved, well, shuffled, out of the way as soon as Dirden had moved. It obviously wasn't fast either.

"Dirden, start flying!" Katrina ordered, a Pokeball in her hand which she kept shrinking, and then making it enlarge again.

Dirden flapped his small wings, and took off, soaring above the Coperagon. I smiled, now Dirden should be safe from any attacks!

And then, as if to prove me wrong, the Coperagon raised a claw and ran it down its own stomach. I blocked my ears quickly, as did Ashlee. Artemis was just burying himself into a pile of leaves nearby.

"_Metal Sound_." A voice said nearby. I looked down and saw it was my Pokedex, Tetra, talking.

I glanced up again, and saw Dirden send another Icy Wind at the Coperagon. I bit my lip, they were at a stall-mate. Dirden was more agile, and the Coperagon couldn't hurt him, but the Coperagon had fast reflexes, and moved when Dirden was about to attack. Even though it was slow, the Coperagon was still fast enough to get out of the way.

"Dirden, Powdered Snow." I called out. I hoped I wasn't gonna get scorched after this battle by Kat, but I had to add my two-cents worth.

In response, I got a strange look from Dirden, but he did what he was told. He opened his mouth, revealing white, and sharp, fangs, and blew out a gust of chilled air.

The Coperagon wasn't expecting it, so it had to withstand the attack. I smiled, and leant back against the tree behind me. Powder Snow had the added effect of slowing the opponent down. Now Dirden MIGHT be able to hit the Coperagon.

In response to being hit, the Coperagon suddenly turned silver. I frowned, and watched as Katrina handled it. It looked like it was using Mirror Coat, but, it could always be using a move I didn't know about.

"Dirden, Icy Wind! And be ready to dodge something." Katrina called out.

"_Something like what?_" Dirden yelled back, hovering just out of reach of the Coperagon.

"I dunno! Just be ready!"

"_Fine, fine._" Dirden muttered. He used Icy Wind for a third time, and was then blown back as it bounced from the Coperagon back to him. I resisted the urge to smirk, but it was hard. The Coperagon glared at Dirden, and then pointed a claw at Dirden. A blue fireball shot out, and engulfed Dirden. When Dirden was visible again, he was scorched slightly, but knocked out.

I raised an eyebrow. What was that?

Katrina had already returned Dirden, and threw Drake's Pokeball out with a scowl. Drake appeared with a yawn, and blinked sleepily.

"Drake, Dragon Rage!" Katrina said, pointing a finger at the Coperagon.

In response, Drake yawned again, and curled up. I shook my head, and stood up, startling the Coperagon.

"Drake, come on, can you use a Dragon Rage, please?" I said, looking at him. In response, he opened an eye, and then shut it again.

I sighed. Maybe he wouldn't listen to me. I jumped back suddenly as Drake hiccoughed, sending a blue fireball at the Coperagon. It was a perfect hit.

Katrina didn't waste any time, she threw a Pokeball while I glared at Drake.

"That was an intentional attempt to kill me, wasn't it?" I asked him. He flicked his tail and didn't respond.

(Ok, this chapter has come to a close. I'm gonna be thanking people, and asking questions By the way, I like talking, so if you wanna talk to me on Messenger, my email is come along and have a chat!)

Whizzkid -You have no idea how much authors like getting those sort of reviews, well for the complimenting part anyway, not sure about the criticism. Anyway, do you reckon you could email me on and tell me what I'm doing wrong? I really like being told what I'm doing wrong, so come and tell me!

Kokiri Kid -Laughs Thanks, but in my version of the Pokemon World, Rare Candies only taste good. I don't think they actually do anything. Looks inquiringly at other writers Thanks for your review though, I'm happy about it.

Angel Skykitten -Laughs again I'll update as much as I can, or, bother to. I'm kinda lazy, but I'm trying my best. And for anybody else reading this, check out her fic. AAM, and really good.

Fang -Thanks, and like I just said, I'm a little lazy with writing. If there's around a month between two chapters, just email me constantly. That should do it.

Aeroleen -Yep, I do know that Artemis is the Goddess of the Wild, but I don't think that Artemis the Mudkip needs to know that just now, does he? And Polienixes are USUALLY female, who says that on the rare occasion that one can't be male. But to appease you, I'll ask Obsidian Blade.

Sierra-Falls -Thanks, I always enjoy compliments on my work. But what I enjoy even more is constructive criticism.

Other Reviewers -Thank you so much for review, I'm glad you enjoyed my story. Just keep reading otherwise I might lose interest in the story. Reviews are what compel me to continue.

Topaz Soarhire -Well, what can I say. It's because of this Gal that I even began Beginnings of a Master. She's the one that patiently helped me to include that evil word 'Description' and to make my characters believable. You have no idea how much she's helped me improve my writing. And her fic 'On the Wings of Council' is THE best Pokemon fanfic by a Female Author, according to me. Thanks Tez, if I can ever repay you, I will.

And to every other Reader, if you liked my story, review and tell me, and hopefully, criticize it _constructively_. I live off of reviews, so tell me what you liked, hated, and want improved.

Me Well, I have to say to myself, I'm honestly disappointed, for not updating more.

By the way, I'm back at school now, so I might not update quite as often. And I'm also looking for one or two Beta-Readers, so email me if you want the job. C ya!)


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

An Egg-citing time on Route 275

Sam's Point of View  
7th of Shirishimi>

I opened my eyes with difficulty. It had been cold last night, and my sleeping bag, combined with all the Pokemon in my tent, had kept me fairly warm. I could tell that the air outside my sleeping bag would be frigid though.

After much bullying, I finally managed to get up and outside the tent, only waking up Artemis who had been curled up on my stomach. He slipped inside my warm sleeping bag as soon as I'd gotten out of it.

It had been 8 days since Katrina had caught her Coperagon. 8 long, incredibly _boring_ days. The most excitement we'd gotten was when we had seen a Pidgey. We were only just over halfway to Romanc City, even though we'd been walking for 9 days!

I'd grabbed my bag from where I'd left it in the tent when I'd gotten out, so I wouldn't need to make any further trips. Katrina, Ashlee and I had come up with a packing system. Since they couldn't cook anything fancier than cereal and toast, I was the one whose bag was full of all the food, along with some Pokeballs and a few Potions and things.

Ashlee had gotten most of our healing items, like the Antidotes, Potions and Berries we'd found. She had some food, but I got the majority or that.

Katrina's bag was full of all the games and things we needed to stop ourselves from going insane from lack of excitement. My books and Gameboy Advanced were there, along with a few board games that Katrina had packed, and some Lego and other building things supplied by Ashlee. She'd told me that she loved to play with them, with a grin on her face when I'd made a questioning noise when she pulled them out of her pack.

Electrum, the Coperagon, had come in handy with quite a few things. Even though she was a Steel-Type, she could also use Ember, which came from her claws instead of her mouth. She'd managed to light fires for us, boil water and other such things.

Getting out things for Breakfast, I noted that we were starting to run low on eggs. I guess there were some advantages of having Nick's Chicken around.

Nick. With a pang of guilt, I realised that I hadn't called him or Brendan and asked how they were going. I soon shrugged off the guilt. They were the ones that had gotten themselves into it, not me.

I'd managed to pull together some kind of omelette, when Ashlee staggered from her tent, blinking at the light. I nodded to her, and flipped the omelette. It fell apart instantly, which kinda defeated the purpose. I glared at it, and continued to cook as Ashlee sat down on the ground next to me.

"I still don't get why the Pokemon like it in your tent." She said, blinking blearily while staring at the embers created by the fire. I'd lit it before I'd gotten out the cooking things; I was starting to get better at it too.

"Neither do I." I replied. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my tent is bigger than yours or Kat's."

It could be the reason as well. Pokemon liked being near one another, which is why eggs usually didn't hatch unless other Pokemon surrounded them.

"Oh well. They'll tell us at some point." Ashlee answered, getting up and going back into her tent, emerging a few minutes later dressed.

Katrina woke up around ten minutes after Ashlee and I had finished our Breakfast and were starting to pack up our things. We had to work together to evacuate all the Pokemon from my tent before I could pack it though.

Seeing as Katrina was moving as fast as a Slakoth this morning, Ashlee and me broke out a game of 'Goldeen', using a deck of Pokemon Cards from Katrina's bag. I'd managed to win six straight games when Katrina finally finished getting ready.

The day started warming up, slowly at first, but it soon got hotter and hotter. By mid-morning, I'd taken off my sleeveless top and was wearing just the blue t-shirt. Katrina had taken off her beanie, and to my astonishment, two purple streaks of hair went down beside her face, having been pinned under the beanie, which was why I hadn't seen them until now.

Katrina saw my look at grinned. "Just before I was born, my mum was in a play where she had to dye her hair purple. She used 'Pokedye' to do it. This was just before it was shut down." She said to my raised eyebrows.

'Pokedye' had been a maker of hair-dyes before it had been shut down because it had been discovered that they were taking the dyes straight from Pokemon fur. It had also been discovered that it could have long-term effects on human babies, teens and sometimes adults. The most common effect was having multicoloured hair, weird coloured eyes and even different coloured-skin. A less common effect was the humans having a slight control over some elements. No great powers though. Just things like creating snowballs from their hands, and fireballs, even having a constant stream of static electricity going over their bodies.

"Anyway, my mum didn't discover what happened until I was born." Katrina continued, twirling a finger around the purple strand. "Want any guesses as to what Pokemon dye she used?"

I raised my eyebrow again. "Er, Gengar? Wait, they don't have blood. Um, Grumpig dye?"

"Nope. Espeon." Katrina said triumphantly. "It won't come out. It's just on that part of my head. It's completely natural. Sorta." She grinned, looking ahead.

"Hey! An Oddish!"

"Oddish?" Ashlee barged her way between us and stood, looking at the Oddish. "Let me through!"

Ashlee grabbed a Pokeball from her belt, and was about to throw it when the Oddish jumped, and scampered back into the bush it had been hiding under. Ashlee swore, and stomped into the bush, when she was bashed back onto the path. I blinked in surprise, and walked a few steps over to Ashlee's side. I looked down at the bush, and down, and down. Shaking my head, I looked again and saw what I'd seen before: a giant hole in the ground.

"Stupid Dugtrio." I heard Ashlee mutter. I looked sideways and saw her rubbing her shins. I hid a grin and walked over to her, offering her a hand up. She took it, and stood beside me, dusting herself off. After which, she instantly leapt into the bushes to continue her search for the Oddish. Shaking my head from bemusement, I shielded my eyes and looked further up the road. There wasn't much to be seen for a while, apart from some trees that had the will to grow in this country. Rain wasn't exactly common here, but once it came, it could rain for weeks on end. The rain clouds came from Janera, the Region south of here.

After persuading Ashlee to give up looking for the Oddish, we continued up the road. I sent out Psychic waves occasionally, until Ashlee told me to stop doing it.

Mid-day came and went without much notice, apart from the fact we stopped for lunch at some point. I was starting to get bored, when Katrina started singing to herself.

I remained silent, until I figured out what the song was, and grinned. "_Makin' My Way_" isn't exactly an unknown song to me.

I was just starting to sing along when all of a sudden, I felt my feet, and the ground, drop out from beneath me. And, like Ash Ketchum had so many times in the cartoon, I fell into a pitfall. Being first in line, I was squashed into the ground under the bulk of Katrina and Ashlee. Shoving them off me, I stood and looked upwards, half expecting to hear a female cackling and see a talking Meowth. Instead, I was rewarded with a face full of dirt. Spitting some of the dirt out, I jumped, and aided by telekinesis, landed at the top of the hole, only to discover two teenagers looking at me.

I glared at them, and levitated Kat and Ashlee up behind me. I dropped them on the ground unceremoniously and continued glaring.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked them, crossing my arms.

My response was a grin, and suddenly, my mind was under attack. Blinking, I pressed against whatever was attacking me. I was dimly aware of Katrina crumpling beside me, and Ashlee walking forward a few steps at a time. She stopped beside me, and then grabbed my hand, combining our powers. She was under attack too, but she'd fare better than me, all I was good for basically was teleporting and levitation.

Ashlee's Point of View

I almost wanted to laugh. I was stronger than the person who was trying to attack us, but they were putting up a good fight. I barely noticed as Sam gave in the fight and was hurt mentally. Striving against the force in my mind, I pushed back, and watches as the girl facing me was starting to sweat. I did grin now, and used all my power to push back. With satisfaction, I watched the girl fall down. The boy next to her looked startled, grabbing the girl and pointed at Sam and Kat. I hurried to build a mental wall around the two of them, but I wasn't fast enough. I blocked part of the attack, and Sam's backpack suddenly turned purple and disappeared, along with the girl and boy.

I gasped; Sam's Pokemon Egg had been in there! Turning swiftly around, I knelt by Sam and started shaking him, wanting him to wake up. A suddenly cold wind blew, going up my sleeves. I shivered, and decided to take the most direct means to wake Sam up.

Grabbing Artemis's Pokeball from Sam's belt, I released the Mudkip. He came out yawning.

"Artemis, can you get Sam up?" I asked him. Artemis slowly grinned, and before I could say another word, a large torrent of water erupted from Artemis's mouth and hit Sam straight in the face. Sam, awake and thoroughly wet, rolled over, sat up and spat out a mouth full of water.

"Thanks for that Artemis." Sam said, before starting on a coughing fit again. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up, before realising something was wrong. "Wait, where's my backpack?"

I bit my lip. "Sam, I'm sorry, they took it."

"THEY DID WHAT?"

A few hours later, Kat and me hung back as we jogged after Sam. Neither of us exactly wanted his fury directed on us, especially with him having a TWT and being a natural telekinetic.

Research has proven that when a person is feeling an extreme emotion, it can affect their powers. Anger and their powers can double, even triple. So, Sam + Angry + Being a natural Levitator / Teleporter Probable hurt when being teleported somewhere.

I did feel guilty about letting them get the backpack. Very guilty. As we walked along, well, marched along, I resolved to get Sam's backpack, and the Egg, back.

A rustle in the grass on both sides of the path caught my attention. Katrina and I looked in the same direction, and suddenly, on either side of us, a Doduo appeared, and streaked off past Sam and down the path. In a field to our left, a flock of Jorei took off, screeching in anger and fear. I turned to look at Sam, and all I got was a flash of blue light. Turning again, I saw another point of blue appear in the field that the Pidgey had been in.

Soon after, Sam teleported back again, looking very dangerous. He had his bag over his back, but I noticed it seemed to be very, well, deflated.

"They took almost everything!" He said, a growl evident in his voice. "When I find them, they'll soon find themselves in Forenzis!"

I didn't doubt it. I'd known Sam for only about two days, but I didn't really want to mess with him. And in this mood, I had a feeling I'd probably end up hanging upside down from a tree.

I sighed and looked down at the ground, and as I did, I saw a small piece of paper appear on the ground between me and Kat. I frowned, and bent, picking it up and unfolding it.

_Dear Trainer,_

_We have your items, Pokeballs, food, and more importantly, your egg.  
__If you want them back, you have until midnight tonight to find us. If you  
__don't, you will get all of your items back, including the egg, but minus a  
__few things.  
__Find us, and you will be rewarded._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Trainer Games_

I looked at the paper in disbelief. Trainer Games? That was a T.V show that came on every-so-often, and it was fairly popular. In it, two people 'attack' a Trainer on a Route, pretend to steal their things and then hide somewhere nearby. I guess we had almost stuffed their game up when I'd fought back. I grinned with satisfaction, and handed the paper to Kat. She took it, giving me a curious glance, and then started reading it. She raised an eyebrow, and then started to grin.

"Ooh! I love treasure hunts!" Kat said, handing the paper back to me and clapped her hands. I shook my head and motioned to Sam, who was pacing back and forth, deep in thought.

Another flash of purple light caught my attention, and I bent down again.

_Slippin', sliding, free fall, flying.  
__Spinning spirals, strippin' round.  
__Reelin', rollin', tipping, toeing,  
__Think we're going underground._

I grinned again, and just then, Sam burst out an angry yell and ripped the paper up. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. If he wanted to act like a big baby, fine then. I handed this piece to Kat, and then bit my lip, looking around. I knew that song, it was from '**_Wonderland_**' on the Pokemon 2000 CD. Why would they write the first lyrics on a paper?

"So, we need to find a cave or something." Kat murmured, partially to herself, partially to me and Sam.

A cave? Oh, now I get it. I turned red, and hoped that Kat and Sam didn't notice. I continued my look around, before spying two hills in the distance. They were a fair way off the path, but they could have caves or something.

"How about over there?" I asked, pointing at the hills, which looked very grey from this distance. I saw Sam turn and look, a scowl reappearing on his face. I quickly grabbed Katrina and then Sam's arm as he teleported.

Well, it got us there quickly, but I can't say much for what the distance did to Sam. He staggered, his face a weary grey. I released Kat and grabbed Sam and held him upright. He shot me a tired smile, and then stood up straight.

We were right between the two hills. A short walk would take us to either of them. But before we did, I had to help Sam first.

_You know, you really shouldn't do that so much._ I told him, opening a link between his mind and mine. A surge of emotion went down our link, and I could feel emotions of anger, tiredness and guilt.

_If I wanted your help, I'd ask for it._ He retorted crossly. I rolled my eyes and ignored his tone of voice.

_Give me your hand, and get ready._ I told him. He looked at me, a look of confusion on his face. I shook my head and grabbed his hand, drawing on my telekinetic powers as I did so. Before he could jerk his hand away, I sent some of my power into him, just enough so that he wouldn't be tired for about an hour or so.

Sam shook himself, look like a Growlithe as his red hair went everywhere. He finally stopped, and looked at me.

"Thanks." He said gruffly.

"You're welcome." I told him simply, turning around. Katrina had already gone to one of the hills, so I ran after her, determined not to be left behind.

The hills were very rocky. Near the top, I could spy what looked like Graveler, a few Geodudes and even a Golem. I looked at them in wonder, before remembering what we had to do. It didn't look like it would be very easy to scale the hills, but that was if you weren't telekinetic.

Well, that would be the case if I could actually do it properly. Unlike Sam, I had next to no talent levitating or teleporting. I flew up, feeling like a Pidgey, and the next moment, landed on my backside in a very ungraceful heap. Below me, I heard Katrina release a cackle and I looked over the small edge that prevented her from climbing up after me. I pulled a face at the girl, who pulled one straight back. I stood up, dusted myself off, and was about to take a step when I had to jump to the side to avoid being run over my a rolling Golem. All at once, I was surrounded by rolling rock Pokemon, deciding I'd get nowhere by trying to dodge every one of them, I put up a shield and hoped I could endure the onslaught. Maintaining the shield was hard, but it was harder to maintain it when I saw two Graveler smash into one another with dull thuds. They instantly stopped rolling and keeled over, looking like they had knocked each other out. Fat chance. They were up again seconds later, glaring at each other, and then they curled up in a 'ball' and continued on their ways. I was trying hard not to laugh, I was shielding only in front of me. If any Pokemon tried hitting me from the back, I'd be defenceless.

At last, after what felt like fifteen minutes, they stopped rolling, and, tentatively, I let down my shield, just a bit, and raised it just in time to stop one last Geodude. Mind you, I could have just as easily have jumped over it, but that was beside the point. I lowered my shields completely this time, and dashed over to the edge over which the rock Pokemon had been tumbling. I hoped that Katrina hadn't been hurt. Looking down, I couldn't see any horrible pools of blood, but that didn't mean anything.

"Whatcha looking for?" A voice behind me said. I jumped and let out a shriek, whipping around with the firm intention to slap, Katrina?

I let out a sigh of relief, which soon turn to anger.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" I demanded, propping my hands on my hips.

"Try? If I mean to kill someone, I do it. I never 'try'." Katrina said, grinning. Ignoring my glares aimed at her back, she started trudging up the hill.

I sighed and shook my head. Mentally, I reached out until I hit Sam's mind pattern. _You ok?_

_Oh sure._ He replied, sounding amused, and frustrated. _If you count having tons of Donphan, Phanpy and Shuckle rolling past you, going at the same speed of a 'P' plater._

_Oh, well, in that case, I don't have anything on you. I was only attacked by many Geodudes, Gravelers and Golems._ I shot back at him.

_Aaw, poor baby. Does poor widdle baby wanna bottle after she goes for a wie down?_ Sam retorted, shutting off the link. I made a face at where I thought he was and went off after Kat, to the tip of the hill.

"Slippin', sliding, free fall, flying." I repeated to myself. Suddenly, I realised I'd done all of them or had some sort of dealing with them, except one. I'd had to 'fly' up to get on the hill, the Rock Pokemon had been sliding down the hill and free fallen over the side of the hill, and I'd yet to experience the slipping.

And just as I thought that, Katrina reached the top of the hill, and promptly disappeared from sight. I blinked, and instantly dash up the hill to get to her. I was out of breath in ten seconds, but I got to the top, and saw nothing out of the ordinary, only a piece of paper attached to a rock. I looked around warily, wondering if Katrina had suddenly been taken by Trainer Challenge or by a bird Pokemon looking for a meal.

Walking forward, I bent to grab the piece of paper, and just as I touched it, a hole appeared beneath my feet, or more specifically, a trap-door. Somehow, I managed to keep a hand on the piece of paper as well, but I fell, sliding down a smooth slope, and appeared out in a cavern. Sam and Kat were there, Sam had a torch. I got to my feet, looking around. It was a very strange, little place here. There wasn't any visible openings at all, just walls. A steady stream of air came down from two holes in the wall, where Sam, Kat and me must've slid down.

"Hmm, that went well." Sam said, looking up at the roof. I looked up too, following the beam of light. I couldn't see anything, not that that actually meant anything. I looked down at the paper in my hand, and reached behind me into my bag, into a side pocket that had my torch. Finding it and flicking it on, I read out what was on the paper.

_Everybody's looking for that something.  
__The thing that makes it all complete.  
__You find it in the strangest places,  
__Places you'd never thought it could be.  
__  
Some find it in the face of their children.  
__Some find it in their lover's eyes.  
__Who can deny the joy it brings,  
__When you've found that special thing,  
__You're flying without wings._

I groaned after I'd finished reading it. Sam had a blank look on his face, while Kat looked thoughtful. I frowned and looked at the paper again, rereading it.

It still didn't make sense, no matter how I thought of it. We needed better light, but none of our Pokemon knew Flash, not to my knowledge anyway.

It turned out we didn't need a Pokemon for it. Katrina sighed, and pulled on the top of her torch, which popped up and out of the holder, flooding the cavern with better light. Katrina held it as high as she could above her head, and started wandering around the cavern. I did the same, looking along the walls. We had all completed a full circuit of the walls, when we decided to starting looking at the roof.

"Hey, Sam, why don't you just teleport us out of here?" Katrina asked, her eyes focused on the roof above her head.

"Because I've done enough teleporting for today, and I wouldn't be able to teleport us unless you would want to have pieces of yourself left behind." Sam answered, trying not to trip over his own feet as he wandered around.

I sighed, and brushed a lock of hair behind me ear. It was annoying me and I was getting a sore neck. Suddenly, my foot stepped into a hole in the ground, and I fell, putting my arms out in front of me just in time to stop myself from breaking my nose.

My torch rolled away, and stopped, pointed at one of the slides one of us had come from. Below the slide, there was a small space, and in the small space, there was what looked like a small, brown cube. Sam wandered over to me and knelt.

"That was graceful."

"Shut up or I'll show you how gracefully I can slap you." I told him through gritted teeth. I pointed at the space where my foot had been caught. "Keep your torch on that for a second."

Sam sighed and shuffled his feet, but stayed in the same place anyway. I got up, my knees and forearms hurting. I rubbed them, wincing. I'd taken some skin from my knees and a lot from my arms. Walking over to the slide, I knelt down and grabbed under it, until my fingers came into contact with the box. Grabbing it, I stood up and marched over to my torch, took it and stomped back to Sam.

He raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?" He asked, plainly confused.

"This." And with that, I slammed the box into the hole. My feet left the ground as gravity seemed to disappear, and suddenly the roof opened up to show the sky. I grinned, I was happy now, we were getting out of there. Turning I saw Kat floating, looking so ridiculous I had to laugh. Katrina looked at me and made a face. I stuck my tongue out at her as we emerged in the sunlight. I blinked, my eyes watering from the sudden, strong light. Abruptly, I wasn't floating anymore and the ground closed. To be plain, we fell. Well, me and Kat feel, Sam floated down to landed delicately on the ground. I groaned, it wasn't one of my better landings.

There was still a small hole in the ground, and out of it came shooting a small, folded piece of paper. It stopped halfway in the air, and went to Sam's hand. He unfolded it and looked at it as me and Kat picked ourselves up.

_Just look in my eyes and tell me,  
__You've got all that it takes,  
__And much more.  
__All you've gotta do is ask._

_Stop telling me lies and show me,  
__With every move that you make,  
__You can score.  
__Just tell me that you want to play._

_You can feel it, but can you steal it?  
_'_Cause boy I've got the magic touch.  
__Can you beat the best,  
__With the power you possess?_

_Will you step up to the fight?  
__Can you pass the test,  
__Are you frightened to confess,  
__That you just can't get it right._

_You can win or lose,  
__But you've gotta pay your dues.  
__Now what are you going to say?  
__Do you really wanna play?_

Sam's Point of View

I snorted and rolled my eyes. Crumpling the piece of paper, I threw it over my shoulder. "Whoever's there, come out and fight." I yelled out. Ashlee and Katrina looked at me in amazement, and then surprise as a man stepped out into the open.

I narrowed my eyes ay him and stepped forward, ignoring the girls on the ground.

The man grinned. "So, you've gotten this far, but now I'm gonna stop you here! A two-on-two battle, winner gets a quarter of the other person's money!"

"Deal." I said coolly, resisting the urge to pick him up telekinetically and throw him. Grabbing Artemis's Pokeball from my belt, I threw it to the ground, and Artemis came out in a blue burst of light.

Turning to look at me, he saw the look on my face. He knew I'd accept no nonsense right now.

Opposite me, the man threw an ordinary Pokeball, nothing showed it was any different from any other, but I knew differently when it's holder came out.

"A Pikachu?" I asked, startled. This guy obviously didn't know many Pokemon types.

Behind me, I heard someone snorting with laughter, licking up the mistake I had. I grinned savagely. "Ok, Artemis, Water Gun the ground!"

"_Uh, ok._" Artemis said, before catching on. "_Oh, now I get it!_"

Spraying the ground with his water, a small mud-pool quickly formed. The Pikachu looked curiously at Artemis, and then shrugged.

"_Whatever's happening, it won't help you Fish-breath!_" The Pikachu called out.

"Ok Artemis, roll in the mud!" I said, a grin appearing on my face. Artemis shook his head, but obeyed. Jumping into the mud-pool, he was soon completely covered with the brown stuff.

"Trevor! Iron Tail!" The man yelled, pointing at Artemis.

_Ok, Artemis, dodge to the right, when I say._ I telepathically told the Mudkip. I saw him shake his head. Suddenly the Pikachu, or 'Trevor', disappeared, and in an instant, Artemis went flying past me.

I blinked in surprise, and jumped as Trevor suddenly ran at me. I dodged out of the way, just in time to avoid being hit by Trevor's Iron Tail.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" The man said innocently. "So sorry, if you hadn't been so eager to battle, I might have remembered. You can only win this battle if you hit the other trainer with a physical attack. Not too strong of course, but you get the picture." The man grinned. I looked at him dumbfounded, when a flash of yellow caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I jumped and levitated, Trevor's tackle missing me by centimetres. I stayed in the air, panting. I wouldn't be able to stay up here very long; the day's teleporting was definitely catching up with me.

I looked down, glaring at the Pikachu beneath me. He sat there, an evil grin all over its face. It was suddenly knocked out of the way by a large torrent of water. I sighed with relief, and let myself down.

Artemis dashed beneath my feet just as I was about to touch down. My feet went in his direction, just as my powers went out. I landed on my back heavily, looking up at the sky.

An electrical bolt bouncing along the ground caught my attention. Turning my head sideways, I saw it coming slowly closer to me, and every time it hit the ground, it got smaller.

I blinked, and then rolled over, just in time to go in one of the bolt's arches, and thus, avoided being electrocuted. I groaned and got slowly up, staggering as I did. Artemis was putting up a good fight against Trevor, they were fairly evenly matched. Trevor's lightning attacks couldn't work against Artemis, and Artemis was relying on his brute force. Trevor was fast enough to dodge Artemis's tackles, but he couldn't land a hit without being sprayed with mud or water.

Seeing Trevor was occupied, I called up my last reserves of telekinesis.

"_Artemis! AIm a Water Gun at the man! It's part of the rules, if me or the man gets hit, the other person wins the battle!_"

Acting almost instantly, Artemis wheeled around and sprayed a torrent of water at the man. The man wasn't expecting this, and the torrent blasted him back, into a rock. I winced in sympathy, and then stepped to the right as Trevor tried tackling me.

"This battle is over!" A voice announced. From behind the rock that the man had been blasted into, a woman appeared. "I declare Sam Sapphire the winner. Here is your prize." She said, holding out a bit of paper. I collapsed to me knees, breathing heavily.

Ashlee stepped forward and grabbed the card from the woman. The woman nodded, and then walked back to the man, grabbed his arm and instantly teleported away.

_Don't you know you talk too much?  
__Don't you know you're outta touch?  
__Gotta win, no room to fall,  
__Means I've gotta catch 'em all._

_Can't you see this game is made,  
__You are you, let me be,  
__'Cause I don't care who you are,  
__Don't you take away the cards._

I groaned. That was from 'Blah, Blah, Blah' a song on the Pokemon 2000 soundtrack. Putting my head in my hands, I fought off the need for sleep, and lot's of it.

A hand settled on my shoulder, and a coolness entered into my head. Looking up, I saw Ashlee giving me some more of her strength.

"You'd better not do that again." I warned her. "Otherwise it'll be YOU passing out."

She nodded and smiled grimly, her face pale. She rocked on the soles of her feet for a second, and suddenly returned to normal. "Ok, let's figure out what THIS song's double meaning is."

"Cards, cards." Katrina muttered to herself. With part of strength back, I stood up, wondering the same thing.

_Cards, Trading Card Game? Cards, Playing Cards? Cards, wait!_

"Hey, isn't the Pokemon Card Master of the World Mark Hydragin?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah."

"So, think. Cards, Mark Hydragin. Is there any field or Meadow around here got a Mark or a Hydragin in their name?" I asked, building up steam now.

"Wait, I'll check." Katrina said, putting her hand down the front of her shirt and grabbing her Poke-Nav. She flicked it open, and then it started making beeping noises. "No, there isn't. There aren't any rivers or streams even. Just a place called the Kingdra Waterhole."

"Kingdra Waterhole. Oh, I'm an idiot." I said to myself quietly. "That's where we go. Hydragin, Hydrogen! And what does hydrogen help make up?"

Ashlee's face broke into a proper smile. "With oxygen, water! Good going Sam. Ok Kat, which way do we go?"

"West, back along the Route. Apparently that little pond we camped beside last night WAS the Kingdra Waterhole." She said, an expression of disdain upon her face.

"I'm gonna be killing the people in charge of Trainer Games." I said, through gritted teeth.

_**So, what did people think? Was it any good? Sorry that this took so long. If you want this updated sooner, just send emails to me. My email is easy, just add an to my username.**_

_**Ok, C ya's!**_


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

It's hatching Polienixes!

Kat's Point of View 

Route 275 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam silently fuming. He wasn't enjoying this at all, unlike me. I was having plenty of fun! The only thing that put the rain on my parade was the fact that Sam's egg was due to hatch any day now.

It was roughly 4 in the afternoon. We had taken a while to get the clue that would lead us back to the Kingdra Waterhole, and we'd just set off back towards it. Lucky for us though, Ashlee and I had two of those compactable bikes that were so popular, and Sam had apparently ridden his bike everywhere before he won the contest. We'd left Ashlee alone a while back, with some of our Pokemon for protection of course. She had wanted to look over our Pokemon for a few days anyway. Dirden and Artemis were still with us though. Look over my shoulder, I grinned. Dirden was able to keep level with us, as long as we went relatively fast. Any faster, and we'd have left him in the dust ages ago. His wings, though small and shrivelled, did well to support him.

Sam on the other hand, kept speeding ahead. After Artemis had almost fallen three times and actually fallen five times, we decided that Artemis was safer in Sam's pack, which was almost empty, thanks to the people at Trainer Games.

Looking up at the sky, I spotted something black which swiftly disappeared behind a nearby cloud. Looks like I'd found where they were filming us from. I didn't say anything to Sam. I knew he'd have teleported the helicopter halfway to Metone before I could have said anything else.

Half an hour later, we arrived at the Waterhole. Breathing hard, Sam wasn't even panting; I got off the bike and lay down on the grass. Dirden chose that particular moment to land on my stomach. Doubling up, I sucked in breath as soon as I could. Sam wandered off, walking around the edge of the Waterhole while I caught my breath back, and then went to chase after a troublesome Frezint.

Giving up after five minutes, I walked back to Sam, still red in the face. He was rubbing his chin, and looking right in the middle of the Waterhole.

"What was the Clue again?" He asked, his brow scrunched up as he thought. I frowned too, trying to remember, when the tune popped into my head.

"It was 'Do you know you talk to much, don't you know you're out of touch, gotta win, no room to fall, means I've gotta catch them all. Can't you see the game is made, you are you, let me be, 'cause I don't care who you are, don't you take away the cards." I said, and focused on the water itself.

Something seemed to glint under the water, but as soon as I looked at it again, it was gone.

"Ah, there!"

Turning to Sam, I saw he was pointing to the Waterhole. Following his finger, I looked and saw a small rock. Artemis had been perched on it earlier today, sunbathing before Sam had had to give him a mental shove into the water to get him going. Looking at the rock, I saw it was partially hidden by a mess of leaves. And under the leaves, just visible, looked like a piece of paper, which wasn't protected by plastic or anything. So, that ruled out Artemis getting it. Dirden couldn't get it because the platform it was on was too small for him to land properly without going head-first into the water. Sam wouldn't be able to teleport it because he was too tired, and he would be able to get to it without making it wet if he swam. He wouldn't be able to reach out and grab it without falling in, not to mention it was just out of reach. I shut my eyes and thought hard. We couldn't use Zeus, because he was back with Ashlee. Electrum couldn't fly, even if she was here. We were completely out of options.

"Don't you know you talk too much, don't you know you're out of touch." I murmured to myself, and then winced. We were out of touch, just out of touch of the paper. "Gotta win, no room to fall, means I'll have to catch them all." I started pacing, and then accidentally kicked a stone into the water. Watching it sink with a few ripples, I jumped back with a yell as a sudden reflection blinded me. Staggering back, I rubbed my eyes as Sam looked at the water thoughtfully.

"_Mirrosh, the Mirror Fish Pokemon._" Sam's Pokedex suddenly quipped. Looking at it through watery eyes, it was pointed at the lake. "_Very territorial, it will kill and eat any other creature entering the waterholes, ponds or lakes it inhabits. Very hard to capture, they are also hard to train, because the trainer cannot look at this Pokemon for too long without being blinded._"

"Oh, I wonder why we didn't notice?" I grumbled. "Well, Sam, got any Pokeballs on you? Looks like we've 'Gotta catch 'em all'" Feeling behind me, I detached a Pokeball from my belt and advanced on the waterhole.

"Wait, maybe we've been going at this the wrong way." Sam said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "The aim is for us to read the paper, right? Who says humans need to read it?"

I looked at him blankly before I caught on. We didn't need to read it ourselves, but we did need to know what was on it! Putting my fingers in my mouth, I let out a piercing whistle. It was answered, a few seconds later, by Dirden.

We had endeavoured to teach our Pokemon basic things for the pat few weeks. Now most of them knew how to read English, and Dirden was the one who liked reading the best. In only a few short weeks, he could already read faster than me, which wasn't actually saying much.

"Hey, Dirden. We need your help." I said shortly. "Can you fly over to that small rock and read that piece of paper and tell us what's on it?"

"What's in it for me?" Dirden answered, flapping his wings.

"Well, if you DON'T do it, what you'll get is a good kick in the-"

"We'll let you drink as much coffee as you want until we reach Romanc City." Sam interrupted. I blinked, and then shook my head.

"Wha-?"

"As I recall, I'm the one who went shopping for food, so it is actually MY coffee." Sam said, glaring at me.

"So? It's not like you drink it." I told him. Dirden had better be prepared to fight for his caffeine.

"That's not the point. If you hadn't spent your money on all those chocolate bars, you might have gotten some coffee of your own."

"Yeah, well, they were having a special." I trailed off. Knowing I wasn't going to win this argument, I went off, muttering. Dirden was happy with this deal, and a minute later, I heard him calling out to Sam.

"_Oh, come and try to catch me. _

_Oh, catch me if you can. _

_Oh, come and try and catch me, _

_Come and catch me, if you can._

_Look out, it's time the world was ready for a,_

_New thing, it's time I got ahead._

_Get bent, nothing's gonna stop me and I_

_Won't quit 'till I'm sitting on the top._

_Never give up when the going gets rough, _

_I know I'm gonna make it through._

_So just try, it'll never be enough._

_I'll show you there's nothing that I can't do_."

I shut my eyes wearily. We'd have to let Ashlee do any running. Sam was in no condition to run, and I wasn't running anywhere. Not without my caffeine anyway.

Ashlee's Point of View 

Placing one hand on Electrum's head, I kept her in place as I inspected her claws. There were a few holes here and there, but nothing permanent.

Releasing Electrum, she stomped off to play with Bugsey, the Venonat. The constant flashes of light bouncing off of Electrum's skin were distracting, but I got through search Rita and Drogan fairly easily. Zeus was another matter, seeing as I couldn't touch him physically unless he firmed himself up. So far, I'd learn that he'd only do it around Katrina and Sam, with me, he'd just float there. In the end, I walked around him, looking at his 'physical' features, which consisted of eyes, a mouth and a lot of the fluffy lumps. Overall, he looked very healthy, to my knowledge of Nymbis's anyway.

Suddenly, all of the Pokemon turned to look at a nearby bush. Eyeing it, I saw sunlight glint off something metal, and instantly jumped out of the way. My recent experiences with the Flora members had made me skittish. When nothing further happened, and the Pokemon turned back to their talks and games, I went back to look over Star. He was starting to get close to evolution, but he had a way to go yet. Close evolution made me release Sting. The Kakuna tolerated me touching him, but no-one else. But he only let me look over him rarely, and all the time flexing his sting.

He was starting to get VERY close to becoming a Beedrill. I could see a thin line where he was cutting through the shell form the inside on his back. I sincerely hoped that when he evolved he'd have a better opinion of me and the others. Letting go of Sting, I stood up and stretched my legs. I had been crouching to look over Sting, keeping myself well away from his sting. Stretching my arms upwards, I wondered when Sam and Kat would be back.

Suddenly my Poke-Nav beeped. I jumped, and fumbled to get it out. Pressing the button, my mother's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

"ASHLEE ANNE BOTANIS! JUST WHERE IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" My mother's voice roared from the Poke-Nav's tiny speaker. I quickly turned it down. I'd already gotten strange looks form the Pokemon.

"Well, I'm in a place where you can't get me anymore." I replied coldly, whispering.

"COME HOME NOW! IF YOU DON'T-."

"You'll what? Hunt me down? I doubt that. I'm sick of not being allowed to do anything at home." I said, interrupting my mother rudely. "I'm on this journey for a reason, and it's called making my own choices. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"And how long do you think it will be before a Team Flora, Fauna or Rocket member ambushes you? Where do you think you'll be then? In fact, I hope it happens, to teach you a lesson. In fact, I hope they kidnap you, to teach you not to do anything alone." My mother retorted, glaring at me.

"Who said I'm alone?" I said quietly. "I have two people with me. And I've already been ambushed. They took Slasher with them too."

"Serves you right. And as soon as your so called 'Companions' come back from wherever they are, make one of them call me. Otherwise I'll be calling the Police."

"Fine." Flicking a switch, I deactivated the Poke-Nav.

My powers were the only thing of my Dad's that remained. Otherwise I'd never have escaped my mother's home. I didn't know anything about my father at all. My mother refused to tell me anything.

I needed a hug. Grabbing Rita, I gave her a squeeze, while she waved the leaf on her head around.

I could hear grinding rubber on ground behind me. Turning around, I saw Kat and Sam riding back to me. Sam was looking worse for wear, while Kat was very red in the face.

"So, what was the clue?" I asked tentatively.

"Forget the clue, I need water. Katrina gasped, getting off the bike and swaggering over to her bag. Rooting through it, she found a bottle of water and opened it, downing almost a quarter of it with one gulp.

"The clue was an extract from everyone's favourite song on Pokemon: The First Movie." Sam said, getting off my bike with more dignity than Kat. He lost it all almost instantly when he collapsed onto his bag, staring at the sky. "Take a look at number thirteen on the CD. It should be in Kat's front pouch."

Working around Kat, I opened the front pouch of her bag, and drew out the CD and my Discman. Turning on the Discman and putting in the CD, I flicked to song thirteen. I listened to it for five seconds, and then ripped off the headphones. "Are you kidding me?"

"Yes, we are. In fact, if we were messing with you any more than we are now, we'd- uh." Sam cut off, lost for words to finish his sentence.

"Ok, I get the picture." I said.

"Just so you knew. Oh, and by the way, in case you couldn't tell, _I was being sarcastic_!" Sam said. Before I could respond, he shut his eyes, and to all appearances, went to sleep.

I scowled at him. "So, just what are we meant to be chasing?" I asked Katrina. She looked at me and shrugged, her purple strands of hair bouncing up and down.

I sighed and sat down again, almost on top of Rita. Rita squawked her irritation, and bounced away into some bushes.

I sighed. We were all running out of energy. Sam from teleporting, me from giving Sam energy, and Kat from lack of food most likely. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a packet of lollies, ones that gave a quick burst of energy. Throwing a couple to Kat, I took some for myself, and then shared them out with the Pokemon. The eyes they were giving me were hard to resist. I could have shot them more easily than refuse to give them lollies.

Pulling myself from the middle of the road, I leant my pack against a tree trunk, and looked up at the sky. There were a couple of clouds, a few bird Pokemon, Zeus, a large blimp…. A large blimp? Sitting up, I looked at it closely. Fumbling behind me in my pack, I drew out my binoculars, and looked up at the blimp. There it was, the 'TG' that represented Trainer Games. And the blimp was heading into the forest. Getting up and running a distance away from the forest, I saw the blimp heading for one tree. It was huge, a tree that stood out from all the others because of its sheer height.

_Get bent, nothings gonna stop gonna stop me and I won't quit 'til I'm sitting at the top._

Looking over at Kat, I saw that she was taking a nap too. I sighed. It was time to help pay off my debt to Sam for rescuing me from Team Flora. I hated heights, and I hated climbing trees, but I _did_ owe Sam. Sighing again, I dashed to my bike and got on, and took off into the woods.

It was harder to manoeuvre through the woods than I expected. I had to keep stopping or risk getting on the bad side of several Pokemon. And then there were trees getting in the way, and bushes and patches of long grass. I had to completely stop once when I ran into a rapid stream. I almost gave up then, but a song lyric strayed through my head.

_Never give up when the going gets rough, I know I'm gonna make it through._

I almost screamed from exasperation. I got off my bike, and paced on the edges of the stream. From beneath the water, there suddenly appeared several green circles. Blinking, I leant down to get a closer look.

From under the water, several Lotads appeared, looking at me. I smiled at them, I had a particular soft-spot for Lotads.

"Can you help me? I'm stuck, and I need to get to the other side." I asked them, pointing to the other side of the stream. Blinking at me, they ducked under water. I groaned in distress, when a large lily pad than those from the Lotads appeared. Coming up from the stream, two Lombres and a Ludicolo danced their way up the bank, stopping beside me. I stared at them in disbelief, and then my mind caught up.

"Can you please help? I need to get to the other side of the stream." I asked them, looking up at the Ludicolo in desperation.

The Ludicolo appeared to think about this, and then nodded.

"Oh, thank you!" I told it happily, hugging its wet body. It looked down in surprise, and then nodded to the Lombres. They picked up my bike, and held it over their heads as they entered the stream. The bike bobbed up and down, but didn't get very wet.

I smiled at the way it bobbed up and down, and then screamed as I felt myself being lifted, and then deposited on a broad platform. Looking down, I saw that the Ludicolo had put my on the lily pad on its head. I laughed, drawing myself together, so that I wouldn't fall. I stayed level above the water, and in a few minutes, I was on the other side of the stream.

The Ludicolo reached up and grabbed my arms, before swinging me down. All at once, I found myself on level ground.

"Thank you." I told the Ludicolo. It clapped its hands, and started to dance back into the stream.

Getting on my bike, I continued my journey, hoping I was going in the right direction. The forest was starting to get darker, and there was a very good chance I might miss the tree.

Fat chance.

Two large spotlights lit up the bark of a tree as I swerved around another one. Riding up to the tree, I saw a sign hammered into the ground that said "This is the tree."

"Oh, thanks for that Sherlock." I muttered. Gritting my teeth, I got off my bike and walked up to the tree. Looking up, the top seemed to stretch forever, I shivered slightly.

_The sooner you get it down, the sooner it's over._ I told myself. Grabbing the lowest branch I could see, I hoisted myself up, and told myself "_The secret is, don't look down._"

After what seemed like ten minutes, I decided to see how far I'd gotten. That was when I made my fatal mistake. I looked down. The ground was more than thirty metres away, a fall that could very well end up killing me.

I looked up determinedly, forcing my shaking arms to climb. Higher and higher I went, until I looked down again, like the idiot I was. The ground was _very_ far away. My limbs locked, and I shut my eyes, imagining myself in a safer place. Five minutes later, I opened my eyes to find myself in the same place, and what was worse, I could see the blimp, which was starting to get close to the tree.

_Sam helped you, so you help him._ I told myself. Stretching out a trembling hand, I grabbed the next branch.

_Grab next branch, step up, and straighten up._ I repeated to myself. This high, the branches were starting to get thinner. Some actually bent when I grabbed them, but the didn't snap. At the top, I could see a blue flag fluttering around. It looked small and pathetic, and when I looked to the right, I could see a large blimp that DIDN'T look so small and pathetic. Not to mention, there was a hand stretching out from the blimp to get the flag.

I ignored all of my fear then. Scrambling up the tree, faster than I thought possible, I reached the top and grabbed the flag, just as the other person reaching for it touched its tip. I clutched the flag to myself as I hung on with one hand. The other person frowned, and then beckoned. Just slightly, the blimp got closer.

_Get in._ The person mouthed. I wanted to do so, quickly, but there was a distance between my foot and the door of the blimp.

I shook my head, and looked down. The man must have seen something in my expression, because he yelled something into the blimp. The blimp got closer by almost a metre, but it still wasn't close enough. The man mouthed something to me again. I frowned, and gasped when I figured out what he was saying.

_Jump._

There was no way I was going to abandon my nice, solid tree to take up flying lessons. I shook my head again, but the man beckoned, and continued to beckon. I gave in. I slowly stretched out a foot, just as a strong gust of wind decided to blow, making the tip of the tree swing violently. My grip on the tree shattered, I fell backwards, and felt hands in my armpits as the man made an attempt to catch me.

We fell, a distance, I knew I was screaming the whole time. The man grabbed on to me, obviously intending to cushion my fall when we landed, when something in my mind gave.

Suddenly, I was in the blimp, seats, metal, everything. And the floor was solid, wonderfully solid under my knees. I panted, hard. I was never going to go anymore than five feet from the ground again, unless I was in a building or aeroplane. I resolved never to climb another tree. It was lucky that I had teleported; otherwise there would have been a good chance that I'd be a human pancake right now. And it was a good thing that my teleporting had decided to take me where I wanted to go; someplace safe!

Beneath me, the man groaned and opened his eyes. I looked down, and then rolled off him, and curled up. He sat up, and looked at me, pity in his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." He told me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Here, you deserve this."

He held out a small bottle. I looked at it, unable to read it the first few attempts, but when I did, I almost laughed. It was a Psy-Replenisher. If a person was tired from using their powers, they could take this and feel back to full strength. I took it, and opened the bottle, taking a little sip. My energy went up a little, but I put the lid back on and put it in my pocket. I'd give the rest to Sam.

The man held out a piece of paper. Taking it softly, I looked at it, willing my eyes to focus.

_Just 'cause I'm small, I'll bet you were all_

"_You're only a girl, what to do?"_

_Let me sing,_

_My song for you._

_When you lay down late at night,_

_I'm the siren you can't fight,_

_I know you don't stand a chance._

_There is nothing you can do,_

_Once I put my spell on you,_

_When I sing my lullaby._

_.Now that you see, it wasn't no dream,_

_Reality got the best of you._

_I told you boy, I would come after you._

I blinked at the paper, wanting it to make sense. Looking at the words, I could only think of one thing that actually described something like this. But they couldn't have done it, could they? One of the last clues, how could they, and more importantly, _when _could they have planted it on her?

Sam's Point of View 

Opening my eyes, I groaned. The sunset shone light directly into my eyes. Rolling over, I tried to find a more comfortable position. From under a fog in my mind, I noted that it was sunset. Another part of my mind asked why that was so important.

I shot up, skipping the sitting up stage and getting to my feet. Looking around me wildly, I saw Katrina sleeping, using her bag for a pillow, but Ashlee was nowhere to be seen. Her bike was gone too.

Her Pokemon though, they were playing with all the other Pokemon in the field. Artemis was there, and Zeus. Dirden and Drogan were playing, and a couple of other Pokemon that must be wild.

A sudden wind made me look up, and yell. There was an enormous blimp above me, and standing in one of the doorways, was Ashlee.

I sighed with relief. When the blimp was only a few metres above the ground, Ashlee dropped something. Running to catch it, I saw it was white, and had a bottle shape. I nearly missed it, but for once, my hand-eye co-ordination skills decided to help me.

Looking down at my hands, I saw that I was holding a piece of paper wrapped around a bottle. Looking up, I saw Ashlee returning her Pokemon to their Pokeballs from the blimp. She pointed at Katrina, vigorously, and then the blimp started rising again. A green light surrounded Ashlee's bag, and then it was gone.

All at once, she was gone. The blimp flew above the forest, and out of sight. I frowned, and looked down at the paper and bottle. Sliding the bottle out of the paper, I looked at it and grinned. This would help! Downing the contents of the Psy-Replenisher, I instantly felt a lot better.

Unfolding the paper, I looked at it, and the song on it. I blinked at the paper, and then thought about Ashlee. She must have read it, so why was she pointing at Kat? Did she want Katrina to read it?

Re-reading the song, I grinned. This song actually sounded a bit like Katrina. Just not the singing part. I shuddered, combine the sound of Electrum the Coperagon's claws going down her belly, along with a half-dead screeching Meowth and you'd be complimenting Kat's singing.

I walked over to Kat, and nudged her side with my shoe. She muttered and moaned, but didn't wake up. I muttered to myself, annoyed.

**_Artemis! Can you come here for a second?_** I thought at Artemis, opening a telepathic link. I felt Artemis agree on the other end, and cut the link, while I looked at Katrina. Nothing seemed different from normal. She was still small, scrawny and annoying. I bit my lip as I mulled over the problem. Looking at her belt, I saw that she had four Pokeballs on it. Dirden, the Frezint, Drogan, the Dratini, and Electrum, the Coperagon. Who was in the last Pokeball?

There was only one way to find out. Reaching down, I grabbed the unknown Pokeball, and pressed the release button. The Pokeball snapped open, and a red beam of light poured out, and shaped itself into a Wigglytuff. For a moment, I stood blinking at it, and it at me. It abruptly inhaled, and from its mouth poured a beautiful melody. If it stopped, so would the world. I smiled drowsily, completely content. I yawned, and then lay on the ground, noting how comfortable parts of it made.

A cold rush of water hitting my back woke me. I yelled, and got up, turning as I did. Artemis had come, and so had Electrum. Glaring at the Wigglytuff, Electrum flexed her claws, and then drew it down her stomach, drowning out the Wigglytuff's song with the ear-splitting screech. I gritted my teeth and blocked my ears. Trying to concentrate, I sent out some telepathy to the Wigglytuff.

**_I'm sorry, but can you please stop that? I really need help right now._** I sent at the Wigglytuff. The Wigglytuff stopped for a second, confused, and then started singing again.

**_Please, unless you want to find yourself stuck in a tree._** I'd given up being nice. It was time for threats. The Wigglytuff stopped, and blinked its eyes in surprise.

Electrum however, continued to use her screech attack. Gritting my teeth, I pointed at Electrum and trapped her in a bubble. Silence filled the air, and I let out a sigh of relief. Turning to the Wigglytuff, I crouched to meet its eyes. "Do you have anything to give me?"

The Wigglytuff looked at me solemnly, and then handed me a small, folded piece of paper. Taking it, I sat back on my haunches and read it.

_Congratulations Trainer, you have beaten this round of Trainer Games._

_Our Secret Base is located beneath the place where the setting sun shines._

Looking at the sunset, and shielding my eyes, I saw that the sun was setting between the two hills that we had gone to earlier. The place with the Pokemon avalanches. I groaned and rubbed my head, I was getting a headache.

"Artemis, can you wake Kat up?" I asked him without opening my eyes.

"_With pleasure._"

Thinking, I ignored Artemis and Kat. I didn't know whether I would be able to teleport that amount of distance. Of course, if I sucked the power in the bubble in, I'd get some more, but I'd end up being too tired to climb the hills.

Ignoring Artemis spraying Katrina with frigid water, and her jumping up with a scream, I continued to think. We wouldn't be able to walk or run there fast enough, and it would be almost impossible to navigate the landscape by foot after the sun completely set. We couldn't fly, wait.

"Zeus." I said aloud. Katrina stopped where she was, chasing a cackling Artemis, and stared at me.

"Zeus what?" She asked.

"We need Zeus." I told her shortly. Placing my fingers in my mouth, I whistled, and Zeus looked my way. Waving him over, I picked up my pack. "Katrina, I need you to ride over to those hills on Zeus. I'll teleport. I can't teleport the both of us at the same time, otherwise I'll be too tired to climb."

She looked at me and blinked. "Aren't you too tired right now?"

I glared at her, angry that she would ask the question. I was doing my best to hide how tired I was. Even the Psy-Replenisher could only do so much.

I shut my eyes and folded my arms, making it plain that I wasn't going to listen, or even look at Kat until she did what I told her. I heard her sigh, and then I heard her feet leaving the ground. Opening on of my eyes a crack, I saw she was on Zeus, her and my packs beside her. Zeus floated up, and then he was gone.

Opening my eyes all the way, I held out Artemis's Pokeball and returned him. Summoning the fleeting dredges of my strength, I gather my powers around myself and teleported.

And miscalculated. Instead of being right between the mountains, I managed to wind up on what I think was the right side of the right mountain. Sighing with weariness, I trudged around the hill in time to see Kat disembark from Zeus, her face pale and sweaty. I smiled, and waddled over to them. Falling to the ground beside Kat, I looked up at the mountains. Darkness was well and truly coming, and the ground was so comfortable.

_A small nap, we have plenty of time._ My brain soothed me. I accepted it, and sleep took me.

The cracking of thunder in the air woke me. Zeus was right above me, angry lighting bolts playing around his cloudy body, he had gone from his normal yellowy-white to a dark shade of purple.

Suddenly, I gasped and sat up. Fumbling out my Poke-Nav, I almost fainted again when I saw the time. _11:58 pm_.

I stood up, quickly, the landscape swimming around my head. Dashing for the nearest object taller than myself, I threw myself up and levitated in a short burst. When my levitation ran out, my feet luckily hit ground beneath me. The ground still moving around of its own accord, I ran uphill. A few seconds passed, and I started to lose hope of finding the hole that Ashlee and Kat had fallen through. The ground beneath me suddenly opened up, and I fell like a stone. Hurtling through the tunnel, I snapped a string as I entered out into the huge cavern. Right in front of my eyes was a digital clock with angry red letters that read '11:59.59'.

I groaned with relief, and fell back, noise filling my ears. Cheering and applause. I slowly opened my eyes and Ashlee's head filled my vision. "Sam, you did it!" Grabbing my hands, she yanked me to my feet, and lead me to a table. People were bustling around me, and I noticed I was being followed by two people.

That barely registered on my mind. On the table Ashlee had lead me to where my clothes, Potions, Pokeballs and other things, artfully arranged around the Pokemon Egg. I grinned, blinking wearily and reached out to grab the egg. The instant I touched it, it turned a blinding white.

Everything paused around me, as everyone stopped and turned to look at the source of the light. A few black lines developed in the white, becoming more numerous, until the egg half-exploded and a small, blue little bird sat in my hands, looking as tired as I did. It chirped, and then looked up at me. "_Mommy?_"

I chuckled, and brought the brand-new Polienix closer to my face. It looked at me critically, and then hopped onto its feet and rubbed its head against my chin. I grinned, and then rubbed the Polienix on the head. "Hello Hera." I whispered to it.

"And cut!" A man shouted. Turning around, I saw a man holding a camera. Looking up, I saw a microphone had been dropped almost on top of me. Cradling Hera in my hands, I blinked as several bright lights flashed and a man came forward.

"Sam Sapphire, you have won the first of the Dictian Trainer Games!" He announced, grabbing one of my hands and shaking it vigorously. I raised an eyebrow, and then grabbed my hand back when his hold on it weakened slightly.

"Hi." I said tentatively. "Who are you?"

The man's smile faulted a bit as Ashlee jumped in. "This is Rick, he nearly died along with me when we fell out of that blimp you saw."

"That was smart."

"Oh, we didn't mean it. Anyway, he's the host of the Dictian Trainer Games, and we were the first trainers in Dictioy!" Ashlee ended with a squeal. I grimaced, and then turned to Rick.

"I guess you're to blame for all this?" I asked him, daring him to deny anything and say it wasn't him.

"Oh yeah, and more. You were meant to come here right away, not fall asleep you know!" He joked. A door slid open in the wall behind him and Kat was lead in, blinking. Zeus followed behind her, chortling, the reason was obvious. All of Kat's hair stood on end, testament to a good shocking.

"But now, you got here only _JUST_ on the deadline. You won, but you nearly didn't." Rick informed me. Fishing behind him, he grabbed a remote and clicked it towards the wall opposite to where Kat had come in. The rock slid apart, revealing several Pokedolls and other things. Grabbing me and Katrina by the arm, Rick lead us up to the stage that our prizes were on. "Sam, for solving the Water-Hole puzzle, winning the Pokemon Battle and defeating Wigglytuff, you have now got an added $5000 on your Trainer Card, Five Pokeballs, three Greatballs and two Ultraballs. You also get a Large Lapras Pokedoll, a Mudkip Pokedoll, a Large Blastoise Doll, a Water Stone and a Five-Night stay at the Waterfall Hotel in Lesre City!"

Glancing up on the stage, a white light surrounded the specified dolls and a few flashes on the table. They disappeared, on their way to my Item Box or back to my Secret Base on Southern Island.

"Katrina! For solving the first puzzle and for getting your Pokemon to tell you the riddle at the Kingdra Water-Hole, these prizes are yours! You will be getting a Soothe Bell, a Fire-Stone, 4 Super-Potions, 3 Hyper-Potions, 2 Max Potions and a Full Restore! You also get $2500 and a five-night stay at the Waterfall Hotel at Lesre City!"

"And Ashlee, for solving the puzzle that happened in this very cavern and climbing that treacherous tree, you will get a Moon-Stone, a Leaf Stone, bottles of Protein, Calcium, Iron and Zinc tablets for your Pokemon, $2500, a sack of Sitrus Berries, a Full-Restore and a five-night stay at the Waterfall Hotel in Lesre City!"

I smiled and sank to my knees, being careful not to crush Hera. I groped at my side, until I came into contact with a small sphere. Grabbing it, I enlarged it and tapped Hera lightly with it. She was sucked into the ball, and being asleep, was caught almost instantly.

I looked up and grinned at Kat and Ashlee. "Well, nobody can't say that I didn't earn my Polienix!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve  
Back on the Track

_If the river is too wide,  
__I'll get through it.  
__And if the mountain is too high,  
__That won't stop the stream from running._

_I'm on my way,  
__I've got a plan.  
__I'm makin' my way,  
__Any way that I can_

Nick's Point of View>  
7th of Sharmishira>

It was warm. VERY warm. Brendan was next to me, sweating buckets. He had a long-sleeved T-Shirt on and three-quarters jeans. I was in shorts and an armless shirt.  
We had left Arw City two days after Sam and Katrina had. We'd taken another day to recover, and then we spent another day beating the gym. I had had a bit of trouble, but not as much as Brendan had. He'd had to fight fire with fire, which hadn't worked too well. He'd only won because Vixen the Vulpix had tripped over Blair's Magmar and sent it into the tomato soup.

Stretching out my arms, I yawned, and then scratched my head. It felt great to be stretching my legs again. I'd taken a couple of runs around the city to let out some stress, but now that we were back on the road, my legs were getting a good stretch.  
The flapping of wings caught my attention. Looking up, I saw a flock of Jorei taking off from a tree near us. Their multicoloured-wings seemed to form an ever-changing picture which only lasted a minute. Smiling, I shaded my eyes and looked at the way they were going.

"That's unusual." Brendan muttered.

"What is?"

"Those Jorei. They shouldn't be flocking together right now. It's Spring, so that flock should be at least half its size. The females should be roosting and looking after their young." Brendan explained, watching the Jorei as they disappeared from sight.  
I frowned. That didn't seem right at all. Jorei were very particular Pokemon. They had to have their eggs within a month of the snow melting, or there'd be trouble.  
For example, a whole bunch of them chasing away intruders near their nests.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, and watched as the whole flock of them wheeled around. Brendan took a step back. I followed suit, but I took it a bit further. To say it plainly, I ran for my life.

Jorei were very matriarchal Pokemon, their whole flocks being run by the females. The males did what they were told, which also included fighting. That was why the whole flock were leaving their nest.  
I dashed as fast as I could. While Jorei weren't particularly dangerous, they did have a couple of painful attacks, Drill Peck being one of them, and I fully didn't intend to be acupunctured.

Brendan raced ahead of me, faster than I had any hopes of going. I stared at him, half-amazed half-angry. I put on a short burst of speed, but I still wasn't anywhere near to Brendan. I frowned, and looked ahead, dodging potholes in the road, until it struck me. I dived to the side, off the path and rolled. Standing up again, I ran into the forest.  
I kept running. I was a long-distance runner, not a sprinter. Chances are that Brendan was slowing down right now. I stopped and changed direction every so often. A few squawks of outrage behind me seemed to come from the birds that ran into branches and leaves. I would have stopped and turned, maybe even laughed, but fear kept me running.

Suddenly, the forest thinned out, and I was in a meadow, blinking from the sunlight. The tress had blocked some of the light in the forest, but not a lot. In front of me, a large caravan was resting in place, people walking around it, and a few satellites sticking out of the roof. I stopped and blinked, wondering what was going on.  
Fluttering of wings reminded me of why I had been running. I twisted around, and released Sparx. The Pichu came out of his ball yawning.

"Sparx, Flash!" I said, panting as I tried to calm my heart. Sparx blinked, and instantly began to charge up for the attack. Just as the first multi-coloured Jorei burst from the trees, Sparx released a bright wave of light. The Jorei screeched in surprise, and turned on their tail. Some smashed into one another in their hurry to get away from the light, but within seconds, the whole lot had gone.  
I breathed a sigh of relief, and collapsed to the ground. Sparx bounced over to me, clapping his hands and giggling the whole way. I smiled at him and scratched between his ears. His foot tapped the ground in time with my scratches. I'd discovered he loved being scratched there.

"Thanks for that Sparx." I told him. He gave me a thumbs-up and bounded up to the top of my head.

"Excuse, but can you please be quieter?"

I turned and looked at who was talking. A man, only a few years older than me, looked down his nose at me.

"Uh, sorry." I said sheepishly. "Flock of Jorei, they didn't seem to be happy with me." _More like on the verge of wanting to kill me._ I thought silently.

"Well, be more careful. We have to stop you from going ahead any further on this route in any case. We're filming an episode of Trainer Games, and the trainers in question are near to us. You can come and watch if you want. I'm Rick by the way." Rick offered a hand down to me. Grabbing it, he pulled me to my feet. He winked, and went back to the caravan. I dusted myself off and sighed. Sparx was still on my hair, and I could feel a stream of electricity flowing down my body. I sighed again. I couldn't stop him from generating the electricity at all. Not that I'd tried very hard.  
Shaking my head,I jogged after Rick. I had recovered from my run, but I was still a bit short of breath.  
Now that I was closer to it, I could see that the caravan was actually a modified T.V crew-car. A small T.V screen mounted on the side showed what the camera was focused on, and it was showing an empty patch of ground between two hills.

I rolled my eyes, and looked into the car itself. I wasn't overly interested in landscape shots.  
Inside the van, several small desks had been installed, with lots of equipment on them. There were video screens everywhere, and standing just inside it, Rick was receiving a piece of paper from another person at a desk.  
When he saw me, Rick grinned. "Sorry, I forgot. Guys, this is a trainer that just came out of the woods. Can you guys show him what's going on? I'll be back soon, uh?" Rick trailed off; suddenly realising he didn't know my name.

"I'm Nick." I said, with a grin. I pointed up to my hair, and said, "And this is Sparx."

"Ok. I'll be back soon Nick, I won't be more than five minutes." Rick assured me, giving me a smile of his own. Before I could ask, he disappeared in a green flash of light. On my head, Sparx gave a small squawk of annoyance. I shook my head; I was starting to get sick of psychics.  
A man at one of the desks looked over when Sparx made his opinion clear about teleporting. He grinned at me. "Does he actually know what the noise means?"

"He knows what most of the sounds he makes mean." I replied. Climbing into the car, I went to the station the man was working at. It too showed the same screen as what was on outside. "So, why are we looking at this particular place? Are we expecting anything interesting to happen?"

"Actually, yes. Two of the kids we're doing the Trainer Games with are psychic. We're expecting them to teleport or land there. We don't know where exactly, so that's why we've got the large view here." He gestured at the screen itself. I nodded my head in understanding. It made sense. "We've also got some challenges set up for those two hills. They used to be gold-mines, but they were cleared out ages ago. Now there are a lot of tunnels and a huge cavern in the ground beneath them. We're gonna see if we can get the kids to climb the hills, and if they do, we've got trapdoors at the top which will make them end up in the chamber. We blocked off a lot of the entrances, and we've got a load of Alakazams and other psychic types casting a load of illusions and things. And if the kids can figure out how to get out, we're going to set up the ending for the show there."

"Ok, but how will they get out?" I asked, curious in spite of myself. Sparx seemed to be interested too, because the stream of electricity from him was lessening slightly.

"See that small line of ground where there isn't any rocks? If you look closely, you'll see it." Leaning in closer to the screen, I looked for the particular line they were trying to point out to me. Try as I could, I couldn't see it. "Can't see it?"  
I shook my head and looked closer at the screen.

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's hard to find unless you know where it is. Anyway, we hooked up the cavern so that the ground would open up there. It wasn't easy, believe me. We nearly had a couple of cave-ins, but we got it eventually. That's where they'll come out. We'll be hiding a small cube in the cavern, one that can hit into a small hole in the ground. Put the cube in the hole and it'll start up a huge fan, one that won't kill, but one strong enough to blow the trainers up above ground. We're going to hide it pretty well, so they'll have a hard time finding it."

"Ok."

"After that, yours truly will be hiding nearby, and I'll challenge one of them to a custom match, one where you'll need to play pretty well to win. And then, if they keep following clues, they'll end up at a Waterhole, and then a huge tree, and then back here eventually." The man finished bluntly. I could tell he was getting bored. I nodded my head again, and turned back to the screen as a flash of blue light suddenly filled it, and then disappeared. Three people were there, but they were too small for me to see properly.  
I grinned, and got ready to watch the game play out.

"And cueing the Pokemon stampede slash rockslide….. NOW!" The man said, pressing a button on the consol of the computer. Something on the screen seemed to rumble. Two people form the group and leapt unnaturally up the cliffs at the base of the hills. Watching closely, I saw the third person disappear from sight.  
The face of a Golem appeared on screen and I jumped back with a yell. Sparx however, went a bit further. He let loose electricity, until I could sympathise with a cooked sausage.  
The man at the computer laughed, as did everyone else nearby. Flushing red, I grabbed up Sparx's Pokeball and returned him, stowing his Pokeball on my belt and walking back to the screen, determined to ignore the laughing.  
A green flash made me jump again; landing on the toes of the man sitting at the computer and making me hit my head on the roof. Rubbing my head, while the man rubbed his toes, I glared at Rick. He blinked in astonishment, and then grinned. Shaking his head, he turned to the screen.

"How are our Trainers doing?" Rick asked the man. The man groaned, and pressed a button on the consol, and then went back to rubbing his toes. On the screen we got the view of the back of a girl. I blinked, and frowned. There was someone ahead of her, who seemed familiar. The person was there for only a few seconds before they disappeared, with a yell, judging from the fact that the girl who was closer to the camera looked up, and started scrabbling up the hill.  
The man pressed another button on the consol, and the view changed. The screen was entirely dark. Pressing a green button, the camera suddenly turned to infra-red and two people appeared on the camera.  
My heart leapt, and I looked in amazement at the screen. "It can't be." I said.

"What?"

Rick looked at me. I turned to him, and shook my head. "I don't know. I'm not sure, but I'll tell you when I'm sure."  
Rick gave me a strange look, and turned back to the screen. A third person had joined the other two. They were looking over the cavern, and with a pang, I realised that I should be there helping them.  
The girl I didn't know tripped over, and her torch rolled away from her. It settled on the ground a little way away from her. I shook my head in bemusement, but Rick swore quietly.

"Pure accident, of course. They couldn't have found it that quickly otherwise." He said. I frowned at him, wondering what he was on about, when the girl scrambled forward and seemed to pick something up.

"Come on Ed, we need to go." A woman's voice sounded behind me. The man, or Ed, stood up and nodded. Grabbing two Pokeballs from his desk, he grabbed the woman's arm and they disappeared, this time in a purple light. Rick instantly took Ed's chair, and his fingers became a blur as he typed things into the consol.

"Good one Ed, leave things to the last second." He murmured, and pressed the Enter key. On the screen, a small red light lit up in the girl's hand. She then knelt and placed whatever she was holding into the floor. A few seconds later, her feet, and the feet of the others left the ground. I laughed, they looked funny. Rick switched the view back to the one of the hills, where a large hole in the ground had appeared. Three people flew out of it, but I knew what I was looking for this time.  
Two of the people landed on the ground, but a third person simply floated down, a blue shimmer around them.

"Thought so."

Rick turned to me again. "So, figured out what it is yet?"

"Yup." I answered. A huge grin appear on my face. "I know them. I was travelling with them before. We were going to catch up in Romanc or Rorroh." I laughed. "I can't believe I missed this!"

Rick's face lit up. "You know them? Great! We can have you make an entrance when the game finishes."

"Well," I trailed off. "I know two of them. The blond girl there, her name is Katrina Churchill. Her Uncle is Lance, from the Kanto Elite Four. And the red-head is Sam Sapphire. We're starter trainers; we won the contest that the International League did."

Rick's eyes widened and he turned back to the screen. "Well, I hope they're good physically, mentally, emotionally and at Pokemon Training."

"Oh believe me; they should be able to do whatever you throw at them." I said with pride. "Sam and Katrina can do quite a lot. Just don't tell them I said so. I'll never hear the end of it."

Rick nodded his answer, and watched the screen. Sam had begun to battle Ed, Artemis versus a Pikachu. I sighed with relief, Artemis should be fine. He was a Water-Ground type, which meant electricity wouldn't work. He was brown too, which meant he had either been on the end of a bad Conversion move or had covered himself in mud.  
The Pikachu disappear, and then reappear, slamming into Artemis. Artemis flew through the air, but managed to land on his feet. The Pikachu didn't stop there, he kept going, and narrowly missed Sam.

"Wha? What's going on?" I asked eyes wide as I looked at the screen.

"Ed told you it was a custom match, right?" I nodded. "Well, those are part of the rules."

Brendan's Point of View>

The Jorei had stopped chasing me a while ago, but I'd also lost Nick. In a bad temper, I started looking for him, muttering about boys who decided to run away from me when being chased by a flock of angry birds.  
Kicking pebbles, flowers and anything else that got near my feet, I kept my eyes focused on the ground, thinking about how unfair this situation was. But then again, not much had been very fair lately for me.  
The others being cruel to me was just the start of it. Sam was ok, every so often. I knew that I complained and annoyed people I didn't know very well, but that was my nature.

Suddenly, I ran into a length of tape, which was attached to several bars pounded into the ground. The tape had 'Do not cross –TG' printed on it. I backed up a few steps, blinking in confusion. TG, it sounded familiar, but I didn't know where it was from. Staring at the tape, I frowned as I tried to remember. TG, Team Gaia? No, they worked in the Metone region. TG, Tiffany Gillard, the Grass Elite of the Diamond League? No, that can't be it. If anything, she'd be in Topery City.  
Oh well, I'd think of it later. Shoving it to the back of my mind, I wandered along the length of the tape fence. It made sense that the person who had put up the tape would be somewhere along it.

It was harder to follow the tape than it sounded. It went over several small, rocky mounds, through a pond, around a lot of trees, over a large hill, and eventually, it went for ages through a meadow. Movement caught my eye, and, turning, I discovered that I'd happened upon the burrows of a group of Rattatas and Raticates.  
_Oh great, why do I always end up on the bad side of any rodent Pokemon that's nearby?_ I asked myself. I looked around at the forty+ rat Pokemon and weighed up the odds. If I got Vixen and the others out, chances were that I'd set a grass-fire, and I really didn't want to do that. In the end, I ran. _Is there something that makes Pokemon not like me today?_

Tall grass isn't the easiest of things to run through. It slowed me down a fair bit, and in the end, I was practically wading through the grass. The rats on the other hand, were in their element. They stayed half a step behind me, staying that far away because I was kicking up my heels. I mentally hoped no-one was watching, I must have look like an idiot.  
I started weaving strange patterns in the grass as well, hoping that this would throw the Pokemon off and confuse them. No such luck……

Nick's Point of View>

"Hey, look at that guy out there."

Turning away from the screen, where Sam had just beaten Ed, I looked out the window where Rick was pointing. There, do what looked like a strange dance, was Brendan. I blinked a few times, and then burst out laughing.  
After I'd gotten over my hysterics, I leaned out the window, and yelled, "OI! Brendan!"

Brendan did a half-turn, before continuing his dance. He made his way slowly towards the caravan, and the instant he got clear of the long grass around the clearing the caravan was in, he shot towards us, followed closely by bunch of Rattata and Raticates. I stared in disbelief, when Rick stepped up beside me.  
Extending his arm and pointing at the rat Pokemon, a green barrier appeared, circling around the caravan and the other surveillance equipment. I looked at him with admiration. I didn't know if Sam was even capable of extending a shield half as big as this one.

The first Rattata ran head-first into the barrier, and jumped back, hissing. Its brethren encountered the same resistance. After a few minutes, they fled, knowing they weren't going to win this battle. The ones that stayed however kept attacking the barrier, trying to bite it. I shook my head at the Pokemon and turned to Brendan. "What'd you do that made them all attack you?"

"Entered their territory."

"Ah."

"Pokemon have a thing for attacking me today." Brendan said, before looking around the caravan. "What's all this for?"

"Well, our good ol' friends Katrina and Sam managed to get picked to participate in Trainer Games." I told him wryly. Brendan raised an eyebrow, and turned to Rick.

"Wow. I love this show. What obstacles have you set up for them? I've never managed to figure out how you can come up with so many ideas for these games. I remember when you made that trainer, Serena, I think, go over that old, wooden bridge over a lava stream. She never guessed that she had those Magcargo under her, I still laugh at the look on her face when she fell!" Brendan let out a whooping laugh, and doubled up.  
I shook my head. Even though he knew all kinds of useless facts, Brendan obviously never read that the girl had been traumatised and sued Trainer Games for mental anguish. She'd apparently been afraid of Magcargo before then as well.

Rick was obviously thinking the same thing as I was. Shaking his head, he proceeded to explain what Sam, Kat and whoever else was with them was doing for their challenges. Ignoring them, I already knew what was happening, I watched as Sam and Kat sat down on the ground, followed shortly by the other person. By the looks of it, they were all munching on something, but I couldn't tell what.  
And then they all seemed to decide to go to sleep.

I shook my head and turned around. Rick had just finished explaining everything to Brendan, and then looked at the screen, and then his watch. Swearing loudly, he teleported away.  
Brendan and I just looked at the spot where Rick had been, wondering what was going on. The computer screen suddenly beeped, and on, it, the unknown person was getting up. About to sit on the computer chair, Brendan was in it suddenly. I turned slightly and scowled. He merely grinned, and paid attention to the screen.

The unknown person was climbing up a large tree when footsteps sounded behind us. "You know, I've heard of getting square eyes from sitting too close to a television screen, but that's just ridiculous." The speaker was a young woman, followed closely by Ed. She seemed a bit pale than people usually are, but she was grinning anyway.  
I jumped away from the screen. I hadn't realised I'd been that close. I grinned sheepishly, and stood up. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that." I let out a weak laugh, that probably only served to make me sound stupid.

The woman let out a laugh of her own. "It's ok, don't worry about it." She walked over to the consol to where I'd been and looked at the screen. "I'm the one that attacked your friends here. That girl climbing the tree there is a real Wonder Woman. She managed to fight back against me, figure out the first puzzle, gave your friend's Pokemon their checkups and now she's climbing that tree."

"Uh, yeah. I guess. I don't know her, but I'll take your word for it." I said. "So, she's psychic as well?"

"Obviously."

I rolled my eyes. There were far too many psychics in this region for my liking.  
The woman reached forward and twisted a small knob. The view telescoped in, showing the girl in detail. She was about three quarters of the way up the tree, but she was clinging to it like her life depended on it.

The woman frowned. "She can't have acrophobia. If she did, she wouldn't have made it nearly this far." She murmured to herself. She fiddled with the knob again and the view swung around, showing the girl from the side as the cameras changed. The girl had an expression of terror on her face. Her arms trembled and she reached up to the next branch.

The woman reached into her pocket and fished out a black comlink. Pressing one of the buttons, she spoke into it. "Rick, you need to take her into the blimp. She isn't going to be able to climb down. From the looks of it, she has acrophobia." She stopped for a minute, obviously listening. "Not Rick, not Arachnophobia, acrophobia, the fear of heights. No, I don't know how she made it up this far without freezing up. You'll need to take her into the blimp, ok? And don't even try that falling scare you tried last time-! Rick, are you listening to me?" The woman swore and released the button. "Great, he's gonna let them fall, and just as they're about to hit the ground, teleport them into the blimp they're with." She sighed and shook her head. "And then he wonders why we get sued so much."

I grinned. It sounded like something I'd do. "It's all fun and games."

"Well, those fun and games cost the network almost a million a year." The woman retorted. "I'm Lulu by the way."

"I'm Nick."

"And I'm Brendan."

"Nice to meet you." The woman said shortly. The girl was at the tip of the tree now, and from the looks of it, she was trying to beat Rick to grab a flag. A moment of quiet tension in the air happened, and then passed as the girl grabbed the flag a few millimetres before Rick tried.  
I breathed out, a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. Beside me, Brendan did the same.  
And then it happened.

Rick spent roughly a minute trying to convince the girl to get into the blimp. At least, I think that was what he was doing. The tree suddenly seemed to bend, and the girl started falling. From the looks of it, Rick tried catching her, but he fell as well. Beside me, Lulu shook her head and sighed.  
Purple light suddenly filled the screen, and Rick and the girl had suddenly disappeared. Silence reigned supreme in the caravan, until Lulu burst out laughing. "Ooh, I wish I could have seen Rick's face when she did that!"

Brendan and I exchanged looks of confusion. Lulu and Rick seemed to have a rivalry. Thinking back, I realised that I had seen Lulu before; she was a fill-in host for when Rick couldn't do it. I then shrugged. She had never seemed too happy when she had to do it.  
Lulu's comlink suddenly beeped from her hand. She brought it up to her ear, and pressed a button, listening for a second, she gave me and Brendan a glancing look before she spoke. "Yeah, they're here. Ok, we'll go there now. You're taking her with you? Fine, but you'll need to let her drop off a message to her friends. Yes, yes, ok, alright, I'll see you there."

She clicked the comlink off and looked at me and Brendan. "Ok you two, we're going to the finishing spot, ok? Do you want to come with us, or leave your friends alone?"

I looked at Brendan. I wanted to go and meet up with Sam and the other two, I didn't know what Brendan thought though. He frowned for a moment, before he nodded his acceptance.

"Ok, let's go!" I said, punching the air in triumph.

5 and ½ hours later>

"Well, nobody can't say that I didn't earn my Polienix!" Sam said, looking up at Ashlee and Kat, grinning.

I smirked and gestured to Brendan. Moving quietly, we stole up behind Sam, before surprising him from behind.  
Sam let out a loud yell, and whirled around. Catching sight of mine and Brendan's grinning faces, he stopped, and stared.

"Hi Sam!" I said, waving. He didn't say anything, and just blinked.

"So, Sam, which way are we going? To Romanc? Or Rorroh?" I asked him while he was still too shocked to answer. He remained still, his mind trying to process what was going on.  
I sighed. I had the sudden feeling of foreboding that meeting up with Sam, Kat and Ashlee wouldn't be as fun as I thought it'd be.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen  
Rain, it's everywhere! Get used to it!

_Let the rain fall down,  
And wake my dreams..  
Let it wash away,  
My sanity._

'_Cause I wanna feel that thunder,  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down,  
I'm coming clean._

_ Coming Clean  
Hillary Duff_

Sam's Point of View  
9th of Sharmishira

Lightning cracked the air, making a large booming sound that made nearby Pokemon squeak and flee for their homes, dashing from one tree to another to avoid the rain.  
Looking up at the brooding sky, I scowled at it. It seemed to reflect my mood, but the thunderstorm was what was causing my mood. Since yesterday morning, we, that is, me, Ashlee, Kat, Nick and Brendan, had been caught in one place. One of Dictioy's famous thunderstorms had rolled on top of us, and then seemed to stop. The longest a thunderstorm in Dictioy had lasted was three weeks in one place, and I didn't want to spend that long here.

When the storm had started yesterday, Nick and the others had seen no use in taking the tents down at that time. Since it had been raining non-stop since then, Nick and me had strung up a canvas between the tents. Ashlee and I were about to put up a lightning shield at that point, when Zeus decided to escape from his Pokeball, and began hovering high over the little encampment we were in. He had drawn all the lightning strikes, absorbing them as only a cloud could. When he had come down during one of the small breaks between the lightning, I had seen he had also grown large enough to barely fit under the canvas.

Lightning snapped the air again, while the normal thunder rumbled in the lightning's stead. Shaking my head, I bent over to pick up a piece of wood. I had gotten fire-wood duty, with one of our daily job-rotations. It was Brendan's turn to cook again, and Ashlee and Nick got to fee the Pokemon. Kat was _meant_ to be taking down tents, but that hadn't happened with the rain going on.  
Spying another likely piece of wood, I hopped over a large, hollow log to scoop it off the ground. Lightning boomed right overhead. Wincing, I looked up warily to make sure one of the trees around me hadn't been struck, and also to make sure that I wouldn't need to make a psychic shield to prevent myself from getting a braining. Luckily, the lightning was starting to get reduced to sheet-lightning, staying in the clouds and away from the ground. The rain was as torrential as ever though.

Half-an-hour later, I started heading back to camp, using one of my mind-links with the others to make sure I didn't get lost. By the time I got back to the small camp, I was cold, shivering and sniffling.  
Dumping the wood beside the fire so that it could dry out for later, I went into my tent to get changed, coming out with my Poke-Nav. Brendan was bustling around the fire, cutting up things and throwing other things into the food that was simmering in the pot over the fire.

Seeing that I was now changed, Hera the Polienix fluttered from my chair to my shoulder, shaking slightly. She had stayed by my side ever since she had hatched, sticking to me almost as well as the stench sticks to a Muk, except for when I had gone out in the rain. For some reason, I couldn't get her even remotely near water. With Artemis and Zeus she was fine, unless they were raining in the case of Zeus, or drooling a steady stream of water in their sleep, in the case of Artemis.  
Stroking her breast feathers with one finger, I sat down slowly on my seat, trying not to bump or knock Hera off my shoulder in the process. Despite my care, she swayed and nearly fell off once.

Sighing when I was finally sitting, I rubbed my thighs, determined to get feeling back into them. Finding wood in the middle of ice-cold rain wasn't advisable in my opinion.  
Flipping open my Poke-Nav, I accessed the Phone part of it and selected Ani's phone number. The phone rang a few times, which gave me time to get my shoulder out of Ani's view.

"Hello?" Ani's voice rolled down the telephone link, sounding groggy. My mind blank, I suddenly remembered the time difference between Dictioy and Tintia and blushed slightly.

"Hey Ani."

"Sam? Why are you calling me this early?" Ani's face appeared as she activated the option. The small hologram of her head appeared above the face of the Poke-Nav, and I saw her face looked as tired as her voice had sounded.

"Because of this." I brought my shoulder into view of Ani's head, revealing Hera, who whistled sleepily. Ani's eyebrow rose, as she considered the small blue bird, before she appeared to get up and move. A few seconds later, the holographic screen retreated onto the face of the Poke-Nav, enabling me to see more.  
Anticairon's face appeared on the screen, beside Ani's. I guessed that Anticairon had been a little bit away from Ani, because she can't have been in her Pokeball. Pokeballs were virtually illegal in Tintia and Werntio.

Hera, on my shoulder, gave a small peep. Hopping along my arm, she jumped onto my lap to look closely at the Poke-Nav's screen. On the other end, Anticairon gave out a sequence of trills and chirps that I knew was one of her songs of happiness. Ignoring the humans, the two blue bird Pokemon talked in their own language, leaving me and Ani to stare at each other in confusion. I tapped my ear-stud with one finger, trying to see if there was something wrong with it.  
The Pokemon conversation suddenly snapped back into English, as Anticairon said, "And keep an eye on your Trainer. He's still young, and not as mature as he'd like to think he is."

"Hey!"

Anticairon looked past her daughter and at me, a smirk emerging from a face that couldn't really stretch. "Oh, you heard that. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it." Sarcasm almost dripped from Anticairon's tongue as she spoke.  
Rolling my eyes, I made eye contact with Ani and nodded. Pressing a button on the side of my Poke-nav, I ended the call, and put the Poke-Nav in my pocket. Leaning back into my chair, I looked out at the torrential rain-pour gloomily.

"You know, look at it isn't gonna make it go away." Katrina pulled up her chair beside mine. Dirden waddled after her on his small, stout legs, unable to fly under the canopy. The look on his face showed that he felt the same way about the rain as me. He had been forbidden to go out in the rain since earlier today, when he had returned with numerous icicles stuck to his wings. It had taken two hours of effort between me and Ashlee to get them off, because simply tearing them off would have ripped the thin membrane that made of most of Dirden's wings, and fire would have caused a lot of pain to Dirden. In the end, I had to completely freeze Dirden with my powers while Ashlee 'sliced' off the icicles.

"Says who? I'm just gonna glare at it until it goes away. Hopefully it won't be as stubborn as you kids." I said, resting my chin on my hand. My 'kids', I was referring to the three others who were younger than me. Namely; Katrina, Nick and Brendan.  
Jumping up on Katrina's lap, Dirden threw me at glare for the slight at his Mistress. His ice-blue, stubby horn glinted ominously in the camp-fire's light, so I decided to keep quiet. I was still tired from Dirden earlier.  
Stretching out my legs, I focused my eyes on something closer, which was basically Brendan's stew. I gazed at it, my brow furrowed, as I thought about several things at once.

We were still a day or two away from Romanc. We had passed the fork in the path that lead to either Romanc or Rorroh two days ago. We hadn't gotten much further along, since then, but we were definitely on the way to Romanc.  
My mind suddenly flashed to the Gym of Romanc City. It was a Light Gym, which would probably contain rare Pokemon like Heleon, the Light Evolution of Eevee, and Holiopus, the small Angel Cat Pokemon, which were said to go around, giving small treats to people who did kind deeds. Light Pokemon would be tricky to beat; they only had two weaknesses, one of which was also weak to light. Dark was weak against Light attacks, while it was strong against the actual Pokemon. The whole thing gave me a headache, unless I thought of the thing as a whole. The other weakness that Light had was Normal. Diana was my only normal type Pokemon, and I don't think she was healed yet.  
Groaning in frustration, I stood up and walked into my tent, and walked out with a box of tissues and a book. The book was the last one I hadn't read, I had managed to go through all 25 of the other books that we had all brought with us.

Sitting down again, a faint nagging at the back of my mind began, like a small itch. My eyes focused on my book, I threw up a Psychic shield around Artemis as he bounded under the canopy and shook himself like a Growlithe. After reading two pages, I lowered the shield and released Artemis. He tucked himself into a ball and hurtled forward, stopping just short of my chair, before turning slightly and rolling into my tent. Looking up from my book, my eyes followed him as I watched him zip out of my tent and around the camp. Brendan had stopped cooking to watch, a carefully blank look on his face. Katrina was just looking at wherever Artemis was going, a smirk covering her face.  
I covered my eyes and shook my head as Artemis stopped just before he rolled into the fire and changed direction again.

Rain, I had discovered, made Artemis act like a 5 year-old on sugar, steroids and Coke. I hadn't been able to make him sit still for ten seconds since the rain had started. I hadn't seen him since last night, actually. I presumed that he had been running around the woods, disturbing other Pokemon.  
He finally stopped at my feet, and started bouncing on his own. Looking up at me, he chattered at a rate I could understand. Holding up a hand, I motioned for him to stop and slow down.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "There'sanothercampaboutfiveminutesawayfromhere.Thereisonlyonetrainerandhelooksabitlonely.Sowhydon'tweinvitehimover? I'llinvitehimover! I'llbebackinthetimeittakesforDirdenandKattodrinktheircoffee." With that, he was gone before I could even answer. I was left with my mouth hanging open.  
It took a little longer than 20 seconds for Artemis to get back, but when he did; he was accompanied by a boy who looked a little younger than me. He was drenched with water, and didn't look overly happy, in contrast to Artemis, who was proceeding to dash around the campsite again.

A purple sheet appearing above the boy's head announced Ashlee's presence as she emerged form her tent, looking like she had just woken up. Looking at the size of the area she was protecting, I whistled slightly. I couldn't managed _half_ that distance and be able to maintain it while half-asleep. I couldn't really do it at all, even with my TWT turned all the way up to its highest level.  
The boy nodded his thanks to Ashlee, blue eyes meeting with her hazel. Behind the boy, a cape dripped with water. I raised my eyebrow at it. Wouldn't it get stuck on things, and be incredibly heavy right now? Shaking my head, I looked at his belt. Three full Pokeballs rested there, sheltering the Pokemon inside. His hair; black with golden streaks through it, was almost as wet as his cape. Standing up, I placed the book on my chair carefully and walked over to the boy. He seemed unsure about what I was going to do, as he watched me carefully. Extending my hand, I said, "Hi, I'm Sam."

"I'm Jason." He grabbed my hand and shook it briskly.

Motioning to the rain shield above our heads, I asked him, "Why don't you set up your tent? The food is nearly ready, and should be done by the time you are."

Jason shrugged and slung his pack to the ground. Grabbing a white Premier Ball from his belt, he pressed the release button on it. Red energy sizzled from the button, hitting the ground and a Pokemon materialised there. When it was done, I was left looking at an Alakazam.  
I blinked. This kid looked younger than me, but I was almost certain he wasn't a beginner. I'd need to see his other Pokemon first though, to finish my 'analysis'.

"Ok Houdini, can you set up my tent?" Jason asked, stepping under the canopy that sheltered the campfire and chairs. Looking over my shoulder at him, I wondered why he was letting his Pokemon do it. That became obvious when his tent appeared a few seconds later, fully assembled. The canopy stretched out a bit, until Jason's tent sheltered with our own.

I looked at the Alakazam blankly. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it."

The Alakazam nodded gravely in response.

Thirty minutes later, and we gathered around the fire, eating the stew that Brendan had made. The lightning had finished its break as Sheet Lightning, and had resumed come closer to the earth.  
Not that Zeus minded, in fact, I think he was having fun!

"So, Jason, where are you from?" I asked, before spooning a mouthful of stew into my mouth.

Jason looked startled at being addressed, but a crooked grin covered his face a few seconds later. "I'm from Lesre City, over near the border of Poligem and Janera."

I spent the next few seconds cursing Janera. Because of it, the rain in Dictioy lasted ages. "Lesre, that's a Mega-City, isn't it?"

Jason nodded. On the ground next to him, a Pichu was eating some Pokefood, occasionally having some stolen from him by Sparx, Nick's Pichu. In revenge, Jason's Pichu zapped Sparx a few times, his control over electricity better than Sparx's.  
I chewed thoughtfully. I wasn't planning to go to Lesre at all, but the others might. It was famous for its economy, because it was right at the border of three countries, Dictioy, Janera and Poligem.

Lightning snapping right above us drew me out of my thoughts as I winced. I really hated loud noises. Putting up a small rain shield, I peaked out from under the canvas to look at Zeus. He was instantly visible, being the only cloud that stayed in one place, and was repeatedly struck with lightning.  
Although he was absorbing the lightning, Zeus was doing as the other clouds in the storm were, and raining heavily. Bad moods were running rampant in our camp, which would also account for his raining on us.

Rolling my eyes at the cloud Pokemon, I withdrew my head out of the rain and under the cover of the canopy, shaking the water out of my hair and spraying the others with it. From their mutters and scowls, I could tell they didn't like it. Flashing them a grin, I took another huge mouthful of the stew.  
Artemis suddenly raced back into the campsite, still acting hyperactive. Dashing around my chair, he darted between my feet every time he made a circuit.

"Samsamsamsamsamsamsamsam.IfoundHopeintheforestnearbyandsherecognisedme, andsheactuallywantedtotalktoyouandshesaidshepromisesnottoactallmean, andgrouchywhileyougoseeherokokokokokokokokokokbyebye!" Artemis raced out of the campsite, faster than he had come in. Relaying what he had said through my mind, at a slower pace, I groaned.

"Hope wants to see you?" Katrina's eyebrows snapped together in an almost audible click. "That can't be good."

"Who's Hope?" Brendan and Ashlee asked at the same time. They exchanged a glare, obviously horrified that they had had the same thought.

"A girl I met in Comed Town. She got captured at the Emperor's Tombstone too, you know, that girl that practically bit Sam's head off?" Nick said, chewing on his bottom lip. "Well, off you go Sam. We'll be waiting."

I frowned at Nick. "You aren't coming?"

"Well, she wanted you, not us." Nick replied, his mouth curved into a small, sarcastic grin.

"I'll go." Ashlee piped up. "Just in case."

"You sure? Hope can get pretty, uh, cranky, to put it politely, sometimes." Standing up, Katrina began to gather the dirty plates, cups and cutlery. "But if you want to go, we won't stop you."

"Ok." Ashlee shrugged. "Anyway, I doubt we'll find anyone for a ten-mile radius who could beat me and Sam combined."

"You know, if you come back beaten, you won't have anyone to blame but yourself after that statement. Nick said, nodding his head wisely.

Five minutes later found me and Ashlee trudging through the wet forest, dodging logs, Pokemon, and on the rare occasion, Artemis. After nearly breaking my neck when I almost tripped over him, I resolved to put Artemis in his Pokeball the next time I saw him. After another ten minutes of wandering, I realised something: We didn't know where Hope was. Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I sought out my mental link with Artemis and opened it.

_Artemis, just where IS Hope?_

_Didn't I tell you?_ Artemis's mental voice sounded surprised. _I thought I did. Oh well, I'll lead the way since it's gonna be hard to find her._

_And just how are you gonna find-!_ I cut off my mental connection when Artemis burst out of the bush to my left, startling a small scream from Ashlee and causing me to jump. Glaring at Artemis, I raised my eyebrow.

"Follow me, follow me, don't get lost, don't get lost." Artemis called, slowing his voice down to an understandable tempo. Rolling my eyes, I chased after Artemis as he ran this way and that. I seriously though he was leading us in circles, when the flicker of a camp-fire caught my eye through the trees. Stopping so suddenly that Ashlee rammed into the back of me, my mind flashed through what I was going to do. Looking over my shoulder, I looked at Ashlee and told her,

"Stay here, unless I call for you." Ashlee nodded, looking grateful for the chance to rest, and walked over to a tree, sitting down on the dry ground under it. With Ashlee went her rain-shield. Glaring up at the stormy skies, I walked towards the campfire and Hope.

As I entered the clearing, Hope looked up. She was under a small pavilion-like tent, her fire burning on the ground under the pavilion. When she saw me, she visibly stiffened, before relaxing slightly. "Hi Sam."

I raised an eyebrow at her friendly tone. Walking forward slowly, I put my hands behind my back, making it look like I was taking a leisurely walk forward. In reality, I was taking advantage of her not being able to see my hands, by turning up my TWT on my wristband. Energy flooded my body, before I became used to it. I shook my head to clear some of the fuzzy feeling, and then noticed that Hope was looking at my eyes.

"What?"

"Uh, your eyes, they're glowi– actually, never mind." Hope cut herself off, looking down at her shoes. When she looked up again, she looked slightly worried. "You must be wondering why I asked your Mudkip to bring you here."

"Seeing as I'm not one for asking long questions, yes. Why did you ask Artemis to bring me here?" I said shortly. Crossing my arms over my chest, I stood barely inside Hope's pavilion, looking at her, trying my best not to glare.

Shutting her eyes and inhaling, Hope definitely looked nervous. When she opened her eyes, she gave me a small smile. "I asked him to bring you here, so that I could apologise."

Whatever she was going to say, that hadn't been what I had been expecting. I blinked in confusion and opened my mouth to answer, when she continued.

"You see, I don't really travel that well. Well, travel on an aeroplane, ships, cars, whatever. And I didn't really want to leave my family and friends. I only entered the contest because all my friends were going in it. "Hope suddenly smiled crookedly. "They knew I didn't take the contest seriously, but you should have seen their faces when they heard that I had won." Shaking her head in amusement, Hope suddenly remembered herself and looked up at me again. "Anyway, I didn't really want to leave my friends, and that made me cranky. And the day before I left for Comed Town, I had a huge fight with my parents. So, I was in a bad mood until a few weeks ago."

I raised my eyebrow again. It sounded unlikely that she could be mad that long, before getting over it. "And what stopped you from being so angry?"

"Maroon did, my Yoryu. Actually, he isn't a Yoryu anymore." Taking her hand down to her belt, she grabbed a Pokeball. Pressing the release button, a Yoryak appeared in front of me. Unlike the crimson Yoryu, the Yoryak was a cerulean blue. Frowning, I grabbed my Pokedex and pointed it at 'Maroon' the blue Yoryak.

"_Yoryak, the water buffalo Pokemon. This Pokemon family is unique in that every time it evolves, it changes to a completely different element. The Yoryak is a water-type, unlike its fiery pre-evolution, Yoryu. This Pokemon is also smarter than Yoryu, it's blood being more evenly circulated around the body, but is centred around its tail._**"**

Looking down at the Pokedex, I wondered at the load of useless information before I looked up at Hope again. Biting my lip, I thought on what she had said. "Well," I began. "I forgive you. But, just remember, this had better not be a trick."

Hope's eyes widened. "Oh, it isn't! I mean it, I truly am sorry!"

"Ok, ok, calm down. Well, seeing as we aren't on bad terms anymore, I guess I should invite you to come and stay with my group, until the storm passes." I finished reluctantly, before nodding. If she meant to do anything, I preferred she did it with my friends nearby.

Hope looked surprised at the offer, but her face softened. "Sure. It has been a little lonely here. Just let me get packed up."

"Oh, there's no need to do that." I finished with a grin. Sending my mental waves towards my camp, they centred in on the brain of Jason's Alakazam. _Hey, Houdini. Can you do me a favour?_

_The red-furred human speaks. What would you have of me, human boy?_ Houdini's voice sounded in my mind, sounding deep-chested with a slight accent that I couldn't place.

_Can you teleport me, the brown-haired girl and everything in this campsite, including the green-haired girl back to the campsite?_ I crossed my fingers. Alakazams could be temperamental if they weren't approached the right way. With I.Qs of 5000, they had good reason to be.

_The boy has asked a favour. I shall oblige, as thanks that you have put up my master and myself._

A golden glow filled my eyes, and an instant later, I was looking at my campsite again. Ashlee was right beside me, looking surprised. Hope was on my other side, looking around curiously. Hope's camp-gear was closer to the actual camp, and from the looks of it, Houdini had even stretched the canvas to the entrance of her tent. Seven tents were now around a single campfire.  
Nick, Kat, Brendan and Jason looked at me, Ashlee and Hope, plainly wondering where we had come from. I grinned, and set off to get under the canopy. I was already too wet for my tastes.

That night, all seven of us gathered around a larger campfire. We had had to enlarge it, unless we wanted to get really close physically. Katrina and me had gone out on firewood duty again, seeing as there probably wouldn't be enough wood. By the time we had gotten back with enough firewood, Brendan was starting on dinner, and Nick was teaching the Pokemon some English. Katrina had been teaching them to read and write, but had given up when the Pokemon had started reading faster than she could. Nick was teaching them some of the finer points of the language, such as grammar and spelling.

"You wanna know the one good thing about all this rain?" Jason said, breaking the silence. We were all bored, and had discussed, and worn out, several topics earlier. It left us with little to say and little to do.

"What?" I asked wearily, wondering if I was going to like the answer or not.

"If lightning hits a tree, we won't need to worry about a forest fire." Jason said, looking out at the forest. Lightning flashed in the distance, the thunder muffled by all the rain.

"Yeah, we just need to worry about falling branches crushing us." Nick said dryly. Most of the Pokemon were asleep, apart from Artemis, who had seen since he had led me to Hope's camp. Holding in a yawn, I stood up and stretched.

"Well, I dunno about you, but I'm gonna go to bed." I told everyone. "You know, we have a big day of sitting around, and doing nothing!" Giving a small wave, I escaped into my tent, wondering what tomorrow would bring. On my pillow, Hera gave a small, sleepy chirp. Her long tail feathers hung down along the back of my pillow. Getting changed quickly because of the cold, I got into my sleeping bag carefully, trying not to disturb Hera. In my wake, Pokemon started to file into the tent. Dirden, Drogan, Electra, Sparx, Jason's Pichu, all the Pokemon came into my tent, excluding Houdini and Maroon. Smiling softly, I rolled onto my stomach and stroked Hera with one hand. In response, she began to coo gently, a sound that seemed to clam my nerves. My eyes jerked down, and sleep took me.

_**Ok, guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. Thanks goes to Digimonguy for his character, Jason Denmark, whom he asked me to include in the story. I'm a little sorry that he didn't play a prominent role this time round, but Jason will be back! And with a larger role to boot, I hope.**_**_  
__I don't know what to feel about this chapter. It's a shorter than what I normally write, which I don't overly like, but I could think of anything interesting for Sam and the rest to do, short of killing each other. And we wouldn't want that, would we? Anyway, if you can tell me what you thought about this chapter, it might help me a little. I honestly don't know what to do._**

_**Oh well, until next time (Knowing me, about ten months from now)**_**_  
__C yas!_**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen  
Lost in the City of Light

_Can't you just pretend to be nice?  
__Oh, can you at least just pretend to be nice?  
__If you could just pretend to be nice,  
__Then everything in my life would be alright._

_ Pretend to Be Nice  
__Josie and the Pussycats_

12th of Sharmishira>  
Sam's Point of View>

Whistling, I walked along. The rain that had kept us in the same place for five days had moved on earlier today. In that time, the seven humans of the camp had had to amuse themselves. Each of us had tackled the boredom in a different way.  
Brendan had started to devise strategies for me, Kat, Nick and Hope to beat the Romanc City Gym.  
Nick had spent his time by learning how to do handstands and somersaults in his tent, and then outside, under a rain shield courtesy of Ashlee. I had been teaching him, but so far, he could only do a handstand for thirty seconds tops.  
I had spent my time teaching Nick, stretching and teaching Hera to talk. So far, she could say some basic sentences, but they usually conveyed whatever she meant.  
Ashlee had practiced with her psychic powers. She had resolved to keep herself in the air for more than an hour. She succeeded, but managed to spend half of that time also trying to sitting upright.  
Katrina had gone off to her tent, actually wondering about the Meaning of Life. After she tired of that subject, and having convinced herself she knew the meaning, she had decided to teach her Pokemon to do Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Bushido. She succeeded at that in different ways. Electrum the Coperagon now had a killer punch, but anytime she tried kicking something, she fell over. Dirden the Frezint had long feet, and scrawny arms. He could do flying kicks as well, and Drogan the Dratini, well, he just wriggled around a lot.  
Jason had begun to draw up maps, outlining the forest we had been camping near. It turned out that he had six of the region's badges, and was only in this part of the region because he had heard rumours that Mee, the 'pre-evolution' of Mew had been sighted there. I honestly didn't believe that Mew had a pre-evolution, but Jason did.  
Hope had banded together with Brendan to come up with the strategies with the Gym. After they had finished, she had gone to Nick and me to learn some of the Gymnastic abilities I could do.

But finally, we were back on track. We had left Jason behind, and Hope was travelling with us to Romanc only. She planned to be in and out of the city in two days, before leaving for Rorroh Town and its gym, located only half-a-day's walk from Romanc.  
In the mean-time, I knew that my group would probably stay in Romanc for a while, maybe even a week. If it did come to that, I intended to go to Rorroh City by myself, and staying there overnight. The route between the two cities also had a small walk to a Shrine of Gaios, the legendary Earth Pokemon. Seeing as I was Pokenese, and believed that Mew, Celebi and Jirachi had created the Earth, I intended to look at the shrine, seeing as Gaios was meant to be one of the vessels of Mew.

Going over the crest of a hill, I suddenly looked down at a small city, one that seemed to have stepped straight out of a Fairy Tale. A river wound its way through the city, cutting it in two. Small woods were scattered over the city, and from where I was standing, the sun shone directly on the city in the light of the dying sun. I gave a small, weary smile. A break from the wild was exactly what I needed.

Looking over my shoulder at Ashlee, I called to her, "This had better not be an illusion you've put on me Ashlee!" I warned her. I wasn't in the mood for any illusions currently. Ashlee had been trying them for the past few days as well.

"What do you mean, illusion?" Hope asked, looking seemingly interested. "Do you mean, making you see things, or hypnosis, what?"

Turning around so that I was walking backwards, I cast a troubled look at Ashlee, wondering how much I should tell Hope. Even after five days together, I still didn't trust her at all that much.

"Illusions, it's a form of, uh, mind control." I said, hesitantly. "It involves making the mind of another person believe that there is something in a place, when it isn't. Only powerful natural-born psychics can do it. For example, if you put on a TWT, you wouldn't be able to do it, because your mind isn't trained the right way to focus your powers. I might be able to do it, if I wore two TWT's, but Ashlee can do it with only one. Or haven't you noticed the Golem's flying over the campfire for the pat few days?" I quickly looked at Ashlee. She had a very innocent face on, one that didn't betray any emotion. When Hope and the others shook their heads, I threw Ashlee a glare.

"So, you guys haven't noticed me acting weird for the past few days?" I asked, genuinely curious. When they shook their heads, I rolled my eyes. "Thanks guys, you've been with me for almost a month, and you didn't say to yourselves, 'Oh, he's strange, but he's usually strange for a reason'?"

Ashlee had begun to chuckle, earning herself another glare from me. "Ok, seeing as no-one seems to care for my mental health, I leave you all, heartless children of Grumpigs you are." Turning on my heel, I took a step forward and teleported, before suddenly realising that I had no idea where the Pokemon Centre was. _This should be interesting._ I thought to myself wryly, as the path into the city dissolved and was replaced with an orderly street. In the process of teleporting, I managed to scare a Meowth, making it run up a nearby tree and start hissing at me. I looked at it, trying to force my eyes to focus on it. When the Meowth split into two separate Pokemon, I knew I had to sit down. Normally I didn't get disoriented when I teleport, but then again, I don't usually try to teleport in a place I've never been to before. When my eyes and mind settled down enough for me to be able to see one Meowth, I looked up its tree and made a face at it, before looking around for more significant landmarks. When none sprang to mind, I marched along the street in search of a signpost, also earning myself many strange looks from the people I went past. The first corner I came to yielded no help; when I looked along it, I saw a street that looked much the same as the one I was walking along anyway. Groaning in frustration, I looked around again. My eyes eventually fell on a small child, only about 8 years old. Putting pride aside, I walked over the road to him, jumping up the small gutter.

"Excuse me."

The child looked at me, all innocent. He had blond hair, and blue eyes. Rosy cheeks completed the picture of a child who would, or could, do no wrong.  
Not that I trusted that look. My younger sister had the selfsame look, and I didn't normally trust her at all.

"Yes? Are you new to the city?" The boy asked. Raising an eyebrow in a wary look, I watched the boy carefully.

"Yeah, I am. Do you know where the Pokemon Centre is? I need to go there, and I don't have any idea of where I am." I explained, not revealing anything else that didn't need to be revealed.

A glint appeared in the boy's eye. "You're a Pokemon Trainer?"

Mutely, I nodded my head.

The boy ran backwards, until there was a considerable distance between us. "In that case, let's battle. I'm the best Trainer in this town, nobody can beat me!" The boy declared, grabbing a Pokeball from his pocket, where I hadn't seen it. "And if you win, I'll show you to the Pokemon Centre." Suddenly the boy grinned maliciously. "But if I win, I get all the money on your Trainer Card. This is a 100 Money Battle, if you win, you also get all of the money in my bank account." The boy rolled his eyes at the last statement, as if he doubted anyone could get any of the money from his account.

I merely nodded. It seemed the fastest way to the Pokemon Centre. But if I lost, I knew I'd have to rely on the others for their help. But if I won, it'd just help me all the more.  
The boy made the first move, throwing out a Net Ball. From the ball erupted a Dustox, the Poisonous Moth Pokemon that originated in Hoenn. I eyed the Pokemon carefully. If I didn't keep an eye out, Artemis or Zeus could be paralysed, put to sleep or even poisoned.

My left hand strayed to my belt, stopping momentarily over Artemis's Pokeball, before continuing on to Zeus's Pokeball. I might as well fight flying with flying.  
Delicately pulling Zeus's Pokeball from its stubborn hold on my belt, I enlarge the Ultra Ball, before throwing it; the wasp-like coloured orb releasing a red beam that was a characteristic of most Pokeballs. Zeus appeared, taking much longer to come out than most Pokemon did. The rain's never-ceasing tirade had taken its effect on Zeus; he was now roughly the size of a bus.

Watching the boy's face, I saw him go slightly white. Zeus did appear intimidating, and unless you looked closely, he looked a lot like his own evolved form, Combulos. He was also big enough to have the bottom of his bottom touching the ground. Lightning sparks oozed out of the cloud mass, fell to the ground, and for some reason, didn't die out. Instead, they bounced along the ground and crawled their way up the cloudy mass of their owner.  
The Dustox looked as alarmed as his trainer did, doing a half-turn of his wings and sending his owner a look that plainly said, '_You're joking, right?_' When the boy shook his head, the Dustox turned around again. Flying up slightly, it began flapping its wings, sending small, green spores towards Zeus.

And Zeus, due to his newly gained size, wasn't able to move or make any evasive moves. Zeus fell asleep as soon as the powder hit him. Scowling, I held up his Pokeball and returned him, unhappy that my most powerful Pokemon had been taken out in one turn. Grabbing Artemis's Pokeball, I released the Mudkip, hoping that he was over his hyperactive mood that had started a few days ago.  
He hadn't.

The instant he was released, Artemis began zipping about again. It had a good side to it; Dustox couldn't hit him because he was continually moving. But the bad side was that Artemis couldn't really hear me.

"Artemis, Water Gun!"

_Ziiiiiiip!_

"Artemis, Mud Slap!"

_Zooooooom!_

"ARTEMIS! FLOOD ROLL!"

_Swiiiiiiish_!

"Artemis, do something!"

_Zwaaaap!_

"Anything except that!"

When he ignored me again, my temper flared. I could feel my eyes begin to glow, and I developed a bluish tinge. "**ARTEMIS!"**

Needless to say, the Mudkip stopped dead. When he saw the look on my face, he jumped and twirled in the air, so that he was facing the Dustox.

"Water Gun." I said in a deadly voice; my patience for the week well and truly used up. A torrent of water expelled itself form Artemis's mouth, before I had even finished saying the attack. It was a direct hit, one that knocked the Dustox to the ground. When it gotten up again, I knew the battle was almost over. The Dustox's wings were too wet for it to fly, let alone throw off dust particles.

"Dusty, do something!" The boy's voice broke through my angry haze. Looking up at him, I could see that the boy had a pleading look on his face. Feeling suddenly ruthless, from annoyance I think, I pointed at the Dustox. "Take Down!"

Artemis charged towards the Dustox, intent on knocking it over again. The instant before Artemis was about to hit it, it transformed into red energy and disappeared into a Pokeball that the boy held. Artemis charged through, before skidding to a halt. I closed my eyes, and inhaled a breath, taking a few minutes to calm down. I heard a Pokeball being opened, and when I was calm, I opened my eyes to see a Holiopus. I blinked at it, before grinning. The Holiopus was a small, golden cat with sky-blue patches dotting its body. Its angel-like wings looked like an Angels, white and fluffy. A small head bobbed on the slightly larger body, and its paws flexed playfully.  
It was, however, a Light type. And Light types were weak against Dark Types, and Normal Types.

"Artemis, Take Down!" I called out. The Holiopus had been sent out in front of Artemis, and now warned, turned around, before taking off into the air, its small wings carrying it high above Artemis's head as, for the second time today, he missed with his Take Down attack. Skidding to a stop again, he whirled around and glared up at the Holiopus.

"_Get down! You know you'll be beaten, so why put it off?"_ Artemis demanded, before dashing to the side to avoid an attack from the Holiopus. What seemed like a beam of solidified light hit the cement and disappeared. Artemis responded with a Water Gun, one that only wet the Holiopus's front-right paw.  
I bit my lip, my brain at Full Speed. The Holiopus's wings seemed too airy to be affected much by the water, unlike the Dustox. It also ignored the water dripping from its paw. Looking down at Artemis, I frowned again. There had to be some way to bring the fight back down to Artemis's level.  
That was when it hit me. If water didn't work, I had to play a bit dirtier.

"Artemis, Mud Slap!"

Shaking his head, Artemis dashed over a small garden bed, one void of any flowers; the owner of the garden obviously intending to plant sometime soon. Making a mentally apology to the owner, I watched as Artemis sprayed a small patch with water, while the Holiopus frowned, obviously wondering why I was getting Artemis to use Mud Slap of all attacks.  
The answer became obvious only a second later, when mud splattered onto the Holiopus's wings, clogging the wings and making the Holiopus struggle to stay airborne, before falling slowly to the ground. To add insult to injury, a second wave of mud hit the Holiopus, accompanied by an old layer of manure form the garden. The Holiopus screeched in disgust, before using Light Beam again, this time hit Artemis straight on the fin on his head. Looking pained, Artemis hunched down lower to the ground, trying to escape the source of his discomfort. But as the Holiopus went lower, so did its beam. The beam continued for a further ten seconds, before cutting off as the Holiopus landed and started coughing, obviously pained from using a beam attack for that long. Gritting his teeth, Artemis looked up at the Holiopus, before opening his mouth wide, intending to use a 'beam' of his own.

"Wait!" I called out. A small trickle of water dashed towards the Holiopus before it lost altitude and hit the ground. "Don't use water Artemis! You'll get rid of the mud on its wings!"

Realisation dawned on Artemis's face, and he nodded. Dashing towards the now alert Holiopus, he began to play a game of Cat and Mouse, dashing in to land small hits and getting out of the way before the Holiopus landed a hit of her own. Artemis's days of being hyperactive had had a positive effect; he had gotten faster.  
Finally, getting tired of being hit, the Holiopus began spinning in place, a small wind picking up and started spinning around the Holiopus. Artemis, recognising another Razor Wind from his battle with Isaac's Absol a few weeks prior, jumped into the mud-puddle he had made earlier and hunkered down into it. The wind spinning around the Holiopus suddenly spread out, knocking me off my feet as the strong wind pelted me. I slid a short way, before creating a wall before me. At the edge of my mind, I could feel a slight nagging sensation, one of the first signs that I was using too much power in a short amount of time. The Holiopus's trainer, however, was expecting it, and had braced himself beforehand. Scowling at my stupidity, I jumped to my feet, and walked forward again slowly, collapsing the wall and drawing my power back into me, my beginning headache disappearing almost instantly.

Artemis on the other hand, was still in the same place, enduring the wind. When it stopped blowing, he moved almost instantly, using speed I didn't believe possible of the Mudkip's short, stubby legs. The Holiopus wasn't expecting it either, and managed to be hit by Artemis's finally successful Take Down. The attack, while very effective, still didn't knock the Holiopus out. Instead, she began flapping her still dirty wings, creating a wind that stopped Artemis dead in his tracks. Artemis tried to stand his ground, but only succeeded in sliding back slowly. I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples. There had to be a way to get around this attack!  
Unfortunately, there wasn't. Artemis flew back, right past me, stopping a good twenty metres away. Narrowing his eyes, I saw Artemis looking suddenly dangerous, before he curled up into a ball and began rolling forward. A thin shield-like object began to surrounding him, getting larger and larger. When he rolled past me, I suddenly realised what he was doing.

The Holiopus, on the other hand, did not. Flood Roll wasn't a standard attack, or one put down as a real attack by the International League either. Suddenly, I realised. By the time the ball would hit the Holiopus, it would be too big to do any damage! Shutting my eyes, before opening one a slit, I waited for Artemis to realise it and stop rolling. He didn't stop rolling, however, and when the large water ball hit the Holiopus, instead of rolling over the top of her, the Holiopus instead went through the bubble-like wall of the water ball, and joined Artemis. Now Artemis was in his true territory, underwater. He swam, hitting the Holiopus with bone breaking Headbutts, Tail Whips and Slams. After a minute of being underwater, the Holiopus was spat out of the bubble by a well-aimed Tackle on Artemis's account, and laid on the sidewalk next to the bubble, well and truly knocked-out.  
Silence filled the air, until it was broken by a loud 'Beep!' noise emitting from my Trainer Card. Bringing it out of my pocket, I saw my money change, and the small machine on the corner of the card suddenly fell off. I looked at the machine in confusion, until it lit up on the ground, and displayed the picture of a Mareep. Picking up the machine, I looked closely at the words under the Mareep.

'_Paid In Full_.'

I blinked in confusion, until realisation struck my brain. I had finally earned my Mareep! Looking down at Artemis, I saw him sitting a fair distance from me, looking worried. I frowned; what was wrong?  
A distraction from that line of thinking suddenly occured when the small machine in my hand exploded, leaving a small burn in the middle of my hand.

"Ow!" I cried, looking down at my hand. The small area in the centre of my palm had blistered immediately, the skin not used to things exploding when I held them. I clutched at my hand, covering the burn with one hand as the boy came up to me, his bottom lip extended out from his mouth; the traditional pose of sulking.

"Hurry up. I need to go home soon." The boy told me. "And my name is Keiran, just to let you know."

"Ok," I said, wincing as the skin of my unhurt palm accidentally touched my new blister. "I'm Sam, and that's Artemis." I pointed at the Mudkip, who had sat just beside Keiran's foot. Keiran looked down and smirked slightly at the Mudkip, before beckoning me to follow him.

The embarrassing thing was, the Pokemon Centre was only a block away.

Looking at the building, I scowled at it, before turning my attention back to Keiran. "Coming in?"

Keiran's eyes had glazed over as he looked at the Pokemon Centre. My question seemed to break through whatever smoke-screen he had put up, when he shook his head slightly and looked at me. "Sorry, what was that?"

Repeating the question, I looked at where he had been looking. A girl was there, only a few years older than me. Leaning over the polished wood counter of the Pokemon Centre, she appeared to be having an animated conversation with Nurse Joy.

"Oh, no thanks. My family has its own Healing Machine at home, so I can patch up my Pokemon there. Ok, I'd better get going. Bye!" Waving a hand, Keiran took off, going up the street we had just gone down. Half-way up it, he paused suddenly and looked back. "Hey, Sam!"

I pulled my attention from the girl to look at him. A slightly worried expression appeared on his face when he saw me looking, but he stayed where he was. "A little hint for you: I hope you don't treat your Pokemon like that all the time. The Gym Leader in this city doesn't like people being mean to Pokemon, and she enforces what she doesn't like." Turning on his heel, he took off again, rounding a corner and dashing out of sight.  
Looking down at Artemis, I gave him a blank look. "What did he mean by that?" I asked him, and judging from the look on Artemis's face, he knew _exactly_ what Keiran meant.

12:30 pm, 12th of Sharmishira>

As a result of my disorientation, being lost and my battle with Keiran, I was the last to the Pokemon Centre. When I had booked a room, and submitted my Pokemon for a check-up, I had discovered that Kat, Brendan and Ashlee had already left the Centre. Another discovery was that Ashlee had refused point-blank to sleep in the same room as males. But seeing as there were on 4 beds to a room, I didn't see why that was a problem. Instead, Ashlee had gotten a separate room, one that she shared with Kat, and to my displeasure, Hope.

Entering my room having just had the blister on my hand treated with an ointment supplied by Nurse Joy, I saw Nick lounging on a top bunk, reading a magazine. He looked over the top of it as I came in, before returning to the page.

"The girls were looking for you." He said shortly, his attention elsewhere. A dart of fear entered my heart. I looked up at him from under my fringe, slowly rising to my full height.

"Say that again?"

Nick looked up again, looking annoyed. "The girls are looking for you." His eyes retreated behind the magazine again, and I could almost see a sudden jolt go through his body as he realised what he had said. This time when he looked over the magazine, he was grinning like a Meowth who had just found a ball. "Oh, I have so gotta see this."

I scowled at him, wondering how deep that magazine would be able to go up his nose, when someone rapped on the door. I froze, and turned around slowly, only to be surrounded by a sea of blonde, purple, green and red hair. Seeing as I was a full head and shoulders above Kat, a head above Hope, and roughly the same size as Ashlee, I easily managed to fight their thorn-like pinch on my skin. Half-way to the door, my foot suddenly froze in mid-air, my control over it seemed completely lost. I glared at Ashlee, who grin back.

"Ashlee, have I ever told you how much I completely, utterly and _totally_ hate you?"

Giving a shrug, Ashlee put her arms around my neck and lifted up the necklace there. When all that appeared was an Ultraball attached to a magnet, she scowled, and lifted up the other band. Hanging from this one was the Lapis Lazuli necklace Katrina had made me buy in Arw City. Groaning in frustration, Ashlee glared at me. "Where's your TWT?"

I glared back at her, refusing to let go of the secret of its location, when I suddenly felt an odd presence in my mind, like a hand scrapping around in it. I frowned, wondering what it was, when I realised that Ashlee reading my mind. I tried to push against it, when it vanished. My vision was suddenly filled with a mop of red hair as Ashlee bent down and slipped my wristlet from my wrist. Turning it inside out, she extracted the TWT from its compartment, before slipping it in her own pocket.

"Not allowed to read minds." I shot at her. Beside me, and up on the bed, Nick and Katrina snickered.

"Finally, payback." Nick said, flipping a page in his magazine.

"I guess you'll think next time you try that then, won't you?" Katrina questioned me, a smug tone in her voice.

Sighing, I gave in. "What do you girls want with me?"

"Well, we decided that your hair is getting a little on the longish side." Ashlee declared, grabbing a strand of my ear-length hair and giving it a tug. I winced, and bit my tongue gently. I wouldn't get anywhere with Ashlee having two TWT's on her.

"Touch my hair, and you'll see just how powerful I can get without the TWT." I shot at Ashlee. She raised her eyebrow, before rolling her eyes.

"Sam, without your TWT, you're about as powerful as a psychic Magikarp." She sent the snide comment back at me.

"And what's Hope got to do with this?" I asked Katrina, not wanting to look at Ashlee anymore. Anger was starting to bubble up in my stomach, and I began wriggling around.

"She's here to help keep an eye on you." Katrina said, before pushing me out the door.

"Have fun!" Supplied Nick from his bed. Turning my around, I glared at him, before my view of him was blocked by the wall of the Pokemon Centre.

"Heads are going to roll." I muttered to myself, vowing to get revenge on all of my friends at some point.

12:50 pm, the Argyll Mall>

The first stop we had was in a clothes store. Hope and Ashlee almost dived into it, while Katrina and I waited out the front, rolling our eyes. A hand reaching up to my shoulder was all that kept me from running away, but it did it effectively. While she couldn't run over a long distance, Katrina was deadly when it came to sprinting.  
The two girls emerged a little while later, laden with bags. As the only male handy, I was made to carry them, while the girls ran to the next shop, leaving me and Katrina to dawdle behind.

"I hope you realise that this pains me as much as it pains you." Katrina said, her voice quiet to avoid detection from Ashlee and Hope. "Normally I hate clothes shopping."

"You seemed fine in Arw." I said coolly, not happy at all. When I was unhappy, anyone with sense was happier elsewhere.

"Well, that was purely because I could torture you." Katrina explained, a grin on her face. "Not to mention, you did look horrible. Now you looked fairly decent. With the right haircut, you might even make it to the 'Cute' level, but not by much."

"Oh, thanks for that ego-boost." I informed Katrina tartly. "IF staying like this means that girls like Ashlee and you stay away, then I'm all for staying the same."

"I'll make allowance for your not being happy, so I'll forget everything I happen to hear today." Katrina said, giving me a sickly sweet smile. I narrowed my eyes at her, before stopping and looking around. "Where've the other two go-!" I was suddenly grabbed from behind. Unable to turn and look at my new abductor, I walked backwards, trying to keep my balance.  
My 'new' abductor wasn't new at all. It was Ashlee, and she was dragging me right into the Spinerak's Lair.

The sign read '_The Persian Unisex Barber_."

**_Next chapter: a Special. I'm not gonna say anything else._**

**_Comments, compliements or constructive critisism is accepted! Particularly the last one. Hmm, say that ten times really fast. C ya!_**


	16. Special 1

Beginnings of a Master

Special 1

**Funny Scenes #1  
**Sam's Point of View

"I have grapes up my nose." I muttered, looking down at the tiles of the Pokemon Centre.

"You know Sam, it's time likes these that memories are made."

"I have a banana in my ear.."

"One day, we'll look back on this, and laugh!"

"Artemis, you tripped me over while I was carrying food in a bag. When I get up, I'm gonna kill you.

**  
Funny Scenes #2  
**Artemis's Point of View

Bouncing on the tip of my paws, I looked at Sam yearningly. Looking at me over the top of his book, Sam sighed. "Artemis, I just got comfortable. Do you _really_ have to go out?

I nodded my head vigorously and kept bouncing. "_Oh yes, I really, REALLY, have to go._"

Giving another sigh, Sam got up. I tensed my body as he came near. When his hand was on the door handle, I bolted. By the time the door was open, I was lying where Sam had been sitting, on the now warm bed.

"_Sucker_."

**  
Funny Scenes #3  
**Artemis's Point of View

I was lying down in the sun, watching absently as Sparx the Pichu chased a small, white butterfly. When the butterfly came to rest on a tree, Sparx stopped suddenly, and crouched in the grass. As the butterfly settled there, Sparx got ready to bounce. When the butterfly twitched its wing, Sparx sprang, just as the butterfly took off. Sparx slammed comically into the tree, before sliding down the trunk to settle at the bottom.  
Keeping a carefully blank face, which wasn't at all hard to do, I watched then as Sparx promptly rolled over, and spied the butterfly again. Sparx leapt almost instantly, without a care to where he would likely land.  
Making a grab at the butterfly, Sparx missed, and suddenly had his fall cut short as he landed in the Pokemon Center's Birdbath.

Shaking my head, I looked at Dirden the Frezint, who was right beside me, in the shadows as opposed to the sun. "_So, do you reckon it's natural instinct that's making him chase that butterfly? Or just stupidity?_"

Watching as Sparx leaned over the edge of the birdbath, looking worn out, before spying the butterfly again and leaping form the water, to land face-down on a flowerpot, Dirden promptly said, "_I'm guessing stupidity._"

**  
Funny Scenes #4  
**Artemis's Point of View

Walking into the Pokemon Centre, I looked up at Sam. "_Do we have to do this?_"

"Come on Artemis, it's recommended that a Pokemon gets a thorough check-up at every Centre they visit. And it's not that bad, it's just a Pokemon Centre."

"_I prefer to think of it as a chamber of horrors._"

Rolling his eyes, Sam proceeded to relinquish a hold of me to Nurse Joy, who walked into the room behind her desk, and out of sight of Sam.  
Placing me on a metal table, Nurse Joy walked out of the room, answering someone's yell to her. A piece of cloth was also on the table, which instantly sparked my interest. Waddling over to the clothe, I bent down and sniffed it. Batting it a little with my paw, I watched with awe, and then dread as the clothe moved to reveal instruments of torture.  
Looking at two pieces of sharp metal, crossed over each other and secured with some of that plastic stuff humans seem so fond of, I wondered what Nurse Joy intended to cut off with them. My eye gave a slight twitch as the next tool to come out looked like a pair of pincers. Trying to not imagine how she was going to torture me with them, I pulled out a third device of torture.  
Wincing, I looked at it. It looked like a corkscrew, and I shuddered as I knew I didn't even want to know where it was going to have to go.

Without my noticing, Nurse Joy suddenly came back. "Hello Artemis!"

Giving a shriek of horror, I slumped to my side as Sam came into view.

"He's fainted dead away." Came Nurse Joy's voice, sounding shocked and stunned.

"Yeah." Sam sounded grim and his voice dripped with sarcasm. "He's Daddy's Little Trooper."

**  
Funny Scenes #5  
**Sam's Point of View

"I'm gonna be in the shower, so if anyone calls, just let them know." Nick said, wandering into the bathroom connected to the main room of our area. Waving my hand, I was reading a book, I waved for him to go on and have one.  
The shower was barely on for a minute when the sound of running water suddenly stopped. Looking at the bathroom door, I raised an eyebrow as Nick poked his head out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around him.

"Just checking, but did anyone call?"

Lowering my eyebrow, I fixed a glare at him as I replied, "The Paranoia Police send their regards."

**  
Funny Scenes #6  
**Sam's Point of View

Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling. I didn't have anything to do, and everyone but Nick were out doing something else. "We should do something." Nick said, his voice muffled by the mattress I was lying on. He was on the bed under me.

Sighing, I mentally agreed with him. "How about mailing Artemis to an obscure overseas nation with insufficient postage?"

When silence followed my remark, I pressed on. "Or we could thumb-wrestle for that last packet of lollies Katrina has in her bag."

More silence. I was beginning to get worried that Nick had fallen asleep. "Or we could hijack an Ice-Cream truck and hold the driver hostage for the World's Largest Ice-Cream. Or we could paint ourselves purple, go to the city's pool, stay in it for too long and pretend we're raisins."

"Checkers?"

"I'm red this time."

**  
Funny Scenes #7  
**Artemis's Point of View

"Hey, Artemis! A great new store opened up near here!" I jumped up. Ashlee's voice had sounded out very suddenly, when I was half asleep. Suddenly, large arms picked me up, before placing me in a lap.

"It's called Create-A-Pokemon!"

Something began to fit itself over my head. It took a few minutes, but when it was finally on, I jumped down from Ashlee's lap to the mirror. Looking at myself, I nearly passed out in fright. _I was wearing rabbit ears!_

"Now I have my own, ancient, bunny-rabbit!"

Whirling around, I glared at Ashlee. "_Who maims._"

**  
Funny Scenes #8  
**3rd Person Point of View

"Ok guys, weekends are my time to rear back and howl!" Nick announced, bursting into the room, where clothes that looked like they had been randomly plucked from Nick's bag.

"Close." Katrina said, rubbing a cloth over Electra's belly. The Coperagon emitted a low humming noise, a sign that she was happy and content.

Giving Katrina a blank look, Nick tried again. "Lie down and giggle?"

"Closer." Brendan replied, from where he was playing with Vixen the Vulpix. The young Vulpix kept whirling around as Brendan reached around her to poke her tail, before getting tired of that and leaping onto Brendan's chest.

Rolling his eyes, Nick said sarcastically, "Crawl into a fetal position and whimper?"

"There you go." Came the answer from Sam.

**Funny Scenes #9  
**Artemis's Point of View

Dashing into our room, I looked around until I spied Nick. His back was turned, which was perfect for what I was about to do. Opening my mouth and inhaling, I expelled a Water Gun in his direction, soaking him from head to toe. Turning slowly, Nick fixed me with a venomous look.

"What did you do that for?" He asked me slowly.

"_Your date is waiting in the lobby._" I told him, giving him a rather large grin, before running out the door, intending to hide before Nick could get the translation from Sam.

As I turned a corner that drew me out of sight of anyone looking out of the room, I heard a loud yell. "ARTEMIS!"

**  
Funny Scenes #10  
**Sam's Point of View

"Sam?" An enquiring voice, Brendan's, came from the general direction of the door. Rolling over, I looked at him blearily.

"What?"

"I'm bored."

Looking at him blankly, I processed the thought, before rolling my eyes. "You're also boring. You do it all!"

**_Hey guys, I know this one was short, but like it says up there, it's a Special! Just something to get everyone laughing before the next chapter, which should be out in the next two days. One of my friends is giving me death-threats if I don't get it done.  
So, what did you think of all these? I did them in a spare hour I had. Tell which ones you think are funny. My personal favourite is #5_**

**_Oh well, cyas!_**


	17. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen  
Dark Feelings in the City of Light 

_I've worked it out,  
There is no doubt,  
That you like  
Breaking me. _

But I'm about  
To scream and shout;  
That your games  
Don't work on me.

I've opened up my eyes,  
You thought that you could fool me,  
With all your lies.

_Forget about it,  
Cause now it's getting rough.  
I think it's time,  
'Cause I have had enough._

_I'm gonna treat you,  
the way you treat me.  
You like it hot? But now,  
Can you stand the heat?_

_ Can You Stand the Heat  
Anuj_

Sam's Point of View  
_How dare she? If anything, I'm gonna be making sure that she will NEVER use her powers again. If she's lucky, I might leave her alone and never talk to her again!_

"Sam!"

_If she evens tries speaking to me, I'm gonna hurt her. Oh yes, hurt her severely._

"Sam, wait up!"

_Katrina I might forgive. She didn't keep me pinned to that chair in any way._

"Sam, it was only meant as a joke!"

I whirled around. Pointing at my hair, I yelled at Ashlee, "Does this look like a joke to you? A haircut I might have accepted, but, _this_!" Gritting my teeth, I resumed my furious pace, as Ashlee struggled to find something to say as she half-ran to keep up with my pace.  
Anger almost radiated like steam from my body. People moved out of my way on the sidewalks, Pokémon scuttled into the nearest safe place; trees were popular, and it seemed only Ashlee was stupid enough to follow, or stay near me when I was in this mood.

"Come on Sam. It doesn't look that bad. If anything, you look much better-looking now. And if you got that scowl from your face, and that freaky Anger-Radiating thing you're doing now, some girls might be eyeing you right now. And like I said, it was only a joke. Nick and Brendan have played plenty of jokes on you, haven't they?" Ashlee's voice faded slightly as she finished. I could almost feel her hope that they had.

Whirling around again, Ashlee literally flinched as she felt the full force of my anger. "JOKES I can stand. If they are funny, I can stand them. But making me see illusions for _three days_, and then, against my will, do this?" I shouted, Ashlee shrinking away slightly.

Turning and resuming my livid walk, I turned a corner and onto the street of the Pokémon Centre.

"Aw, come on Sam. It isn't at all that bad. And it makes you look better. It's a really good colour to go with your eyes. And girls really like guys with blond hair."

A strand of my now blond hair flipped to just above my eyebrow. My much shorter hair actually exposed my ear, and my Pokémon Translator. The haircut was apparently a good one on me; the hair short on the sides, while the hair on top of my head a bit longer than those to the sides.  
But then again, I had also liked it red.

Storming into the Pokémon Centre, I got many curious looks from trainers. When they saw the look on my own face, they resumed what they were doing. Stomping up to the front desk, I pinged the bell on it repeatedly until Nurse Joy looked out the door that was behind the desk. "Yes? No matter how many times you ring it, it will still make that sound you know." A vein of annoyance ran through her voice as she walked up to the desk.

"Can I please book a room for myself? Preferably one with no other people in it please."

Frowning, and looking curious at my request, Nurse Joy bent down to look at a book that listed the occupants of the rooms of the Pokémon Centre. "Room 29 is free. No-one else is in it. Why do you want to cha-?"

"Don't ask." I growled, casting Ashlee a venomous look. Raising her eyebrow, Nurse Joy grabbed a key from under the desk and handed it to me.

"Your Mudkip and Nymbis are ready as well. We'll be keeping your Polienix for a little longer, as we need to perform a full-routine check to ensure she is healthy, seeing as she isn't that old yet."

"Ok, whatever." I said, drumming my fingers along the hard wood of the desk. Giving me a slight glare, Nurse Joy went back to the room she had been in, before returning with two Pokéballs. Once I had taken them, Nurse Joy walked rather quickly in the room, looking glad to be away from me.  
I took off again, heading towards the room I had shared with Nick and Brendan. Ashlee started following me again, trying to stop me from changing rooms.

"Isn't this a little immature? You're taking things a little too far, and you don't need to change rooms. You just can't take a joke." Ignoring her, I pushed the door to my old room open hard enough for it to slam and bounce off the wall, hitting Ashlee in the side of the arm. Grabbing my bag; luckily, I hadn't unpacked yet, I went back out the door and up the hallway to my new room.

"Sam, please. Talk to me."

Extending a hand behind me, I summoned my TWT. Teleporting itself out ofAshlee's pocket and into my hand, I stopped for a few seconds to open the room door, before turning and slamming it right in Ashlee face, locking it in the process. Silence filled the air, as I surveyed my new realm. Leaning back to lean against the door, I slid down slowly, until I was sitting on the floor. Casting my mind out, I felt Ashlee stand and stare at my door for a few seconds, before walking back up the hallway. Closing my eyes, my head went back until the wood of the door hit my head gently. Now that I didn't have anyone to direct it at, my anger faded a little, but still remained; a hot, hard stone in the pit of my stomach.

Two hours later

Lying face down on one of the beds in my room, I flicked through some of the pamphlets that I had picked up when I had signed into the Pokémon Centre earlier. Mostly for something to do, also because it required little brain-power to do. The anger at Ashlee was still burning in my stomach, but it was slowly fading.  
The others had come by frequently, knocking on the door, or in Nick's case, pounding on it. I hadn't let any of them in; when I was angry, I had the unfortunate habit of directing anger at whoever passed me, not whomever I was angry at. Sighing, I unfolded one of the pages, when an advertisement caught my eye.

'_The Festival of the Dawn, being held from the 11th of Sharmishira to the 18th of Sharmishira. Pokémon Contests, Tournaments, and a one-time event, the Pokémon Move Council. This festival is to celebrate Mew's triumph over Missingno in ancient times.  
__Also being featured, the traditional Mass Pokémon Battle between the trainers of Romanc City and Rorroh Town. Sign up now to enter!'_

The tournament didn't interest me at all that much. I knew I wouldn't stand much of a chance, unless I power-trained my Pokémon for a few days. Turning the page over to the tournament area, I grinned as I saw a custom tournament.

'_Due to Dictioy hosting the International Pokémon Trainer Contest this year, we will be holding a contest for trainers who have been trainers for less than three months. Come down and see the stars of tomorrow training today!_'

Shrugging, I wondered if I should enter. I'd ask Artemis and the other Pokémon if they wanted to later. Changing page, I looked at who the Pokémon Move Council were. My eyebrows shot up into my now shorter hairline as I read.

'_The Pokémon Moves Council, direct from the International League Headquarters, are the council who decide on Pokémon Moves. Come down and show off your custom moves. The top ten moves will be made into actual moves!_'

Shrugging, I put that down on the 'Maybe' list as well. I'd go and watch some Pokémon Contests though. Apparently there would be some rides and things as well.  
Nodding my head, I decided that this would be a Trainer-Pokémon thing. I might go with the others; it just depended on how I felt. Checking my watch I saw that it was 20 to five. We could even go tonight and check out the competition! The Beginners Tournament was going to be in two days, so I had plenty of time.

Hoisting myself up, I rolled off the bed and onto my feet. Zeus and Artemis, enjoying full reign over the room looked at me curiously. Squinting my eyes, I drew on a psychic ability I didn't normally. My vision turned white, before returning to normal. Blinking tears from my eyes, I rubbed them and tried again. Two more attempts resulted in what I wanted to see; other life-forms nearby. Seeing none near my door, I stopped using my 'X-Ray' vision, before walking to the door. A headache nagged at the back of my brain as I opened the door and looked out carefully. Silently walking out of my door and closing it after me, I began walking fairly fast. When I reached the lobby of the Pokémon Centre, I looked around the corner of the door before walking in. Going to the computers, my mind gave a momentary blank as I forgot what I was here for. Biting my lip as I tried to remember, the sliding doors of the Pokémon Centre caught my attention. Katrina and Brendan wandered through it, followed by Nick. I jumped and looked resolutely at the screen. With the reflection on the screen, I saw all three look around the lobby, each of them passing over my head. It seemed that going blond did have its uses...

Swiping my Trainer Card through a slot attached to the computer, my personal computer came up. Clicking on the phone area, I selected Professor Rowan's name from the list. When the call failed, I frowned. Opening up my Pokémon Storage Area, I looked at all the options, before selecting the 'Withdraw' area. Two Pokémon appeared on the screen. My memory about my newly paid-off Mareep suddenly kicked in, and I began to grin. Selecting the option to withdraw the Pokémon, a signal was sent from my computer to the one at Professor Rowan's lab. I had seen the process often enough while I had worked there; a Pokéball would be selected from a shelf, and the shelf under it would drop the Pokéball onto a conveyor belt, which, in turn, carried it to the teleporter. Right on cue, the teleporter next to the computer lit up. In a flash of white light, a Pokéball appeared. Smirking, I picked up the Pokéball and attached it to my belt.  
Looking back at the screen, I selected Diana's icon. When I selected the withdraw button, this time a mail icon appeared on the screen. Opening it, I read,

"_Dear Sam_

_Your Eevee should be fine, but I wouldn't let her get in any battles. The toxic sludge found in her wounds also weakened her immune system, so if you look at the list attached, you should find some of the medicines she needs. Follow the instructions EXACTLY, or she might get severely ill.  
__Yours truly, Professor Rowan._

_P.S: Your mother wants you to call her._"

Grimacing, I looked at the list attached to the mail. Looking at the list, I whistled slightly. He wasn't kidding about her immune system. Wondering how I'd be able to find it all, I decided to give the list to Nurse Joy, along with the money. Hopefully she'd be able to get it all. When Diana's Pokéball arrived, I grabbed it and logged out of my profile on the computer. Being as careful go to my room as I had coming from it, I sighed with relief when I slipped the key into the door and opened the door.  
Katrina sat there, putting a hairclip back into her hair.

I looked at her blankly. She ignored me as she fixed her hair back up. "You know, nice girls wouldn't know how to pick a lock." I told her, wondering how I was gonna get her out before anyone else came in.

Actually, that part was easy. Turning my head, I squinted at the lock on the door as I drew on the power of telekinesis, not a good area for me. The lock clicked into place of course, but my headache was back and getting steadily worse.

"Yeah, well, nobody ever got anywhere in life by being nice. Not to mention, I've got to keep my skills in practice. Not that your lock posed much of a challenge." Having fixed her hair, she crouched to pat Artemis on the head while I gritted my teeth.

"You do know that I could blast you out that window, don't you?" I asked, pointing to the window of the room.

Katrina snorted. "Yep, you are in a bad mood, to resort to threats that you're never gonna carry out anyway."

_Oh, she noticed._ I thought to myself. Suddenly, Katrina held up her hand. A purple ring was around her index finger. Looking at it curious, I wondered what it was.

"It's a Psy-Neut." Katrina said, putting her hand back down. "I had to apply for a license back in Arw, but they accepted my request. I only just got the order in. Try all you want, you won't be able to use your powers on me anymore. About time too, though, I am glad that you learnt quickly to stay out of people's minds."

Rolling my eyes, I walked past her. My TWT and her Psy-Neut began beeping rapidly as the two of them began to 'battle', their purposes being the exact opposite of the other. Jerking my wrist away from Katrina, I removed my wrist-band, the one that hid the TWT, most of the time anyway. Knowing that sleep would catch up on me quickly without the power from my TWT, I stowed it in my bag, before hopping up on a bed.

"Now, Sam, don't you think you're over-reacting? I mean, sure, you're blonde now; but what's wrong with being blond?" Katrina asked, curling a strand of her hair around her finger. Lifting my head from the pillow with some slight effort, I glared at her, giving her all the response I intended to give right now.

"Well, I guess you do have a point. People do tend to pick on you if you're blonde." Katrina said, answering my unspoken question. "But then again, you do get away with a lot of things other people don't, I mean-!" Katrina continued to ramble for a while. Ignoring her, I eventually went to the sleep that my psychic powers had caused me to have.

When I woke up, a look out the window showed that night had fallen. Blundering my way over to the light switch, I flicked it on, startling Artemis and Zeus into wakefulness. Checking my watch, I saw that it was 6:30 pm. Perfect.  
Grabbing the two Pokéballs from the dresser in the room, I released Diana the Eevee, and the newest member, the Mareep. Diana looked around the room, and at the other Pokémon, before her eyes settled on me. Giving a happy squeak, she jumped into my lap and snuggled into my belly. Grinning, I patted her and turned my attention to the Mareep. "Hi."

Seeming to get over its shock, the Mareep nodded.

"I'm Sam. I got you from Aiden's caravan. Um, welcome?"

Giving me a blank look, the Mareep seemed to give me and the team a going-over. When it nodded its head again, I smiled wryly. "_A good team and a variety of types. With me, the team will be more balanced, though I do recommend getting a grass, fire, ice, psychic or fighting type, as this will even the team out even more and prepare you for almost any strategy."_

I blinked. For a moment I didn't say anything, before my grin widened and turned crooked. "Right you are. I'm guessing I'm gonna have to not lower my intelligence when talking to you then."

Shaking his head, in a strangely grave way for a Mareep, I bit my lip and frowned. "We'd better come up with a nickname for you. Zeus is out of the question, "I turned and indicated Zeus the Nymbis, the cloudlike Pokémon floating above Artemis. "What kind of name would you like?"

Giving a shrug, the Mareep gave no definite answer. Giving a grunt of annoyance, I went back to thinking of names. _Electricity, shocking, rain, thunder, light, wait. Light!"_

"How about Helios?" I asked the sheep Pokémon. Flicking his tail, the Mareep digested the information, before nodding his head. "Great. Welcome to the team Helios. "Now, this is Artemis, "I indicated the small, mud fish Pokémon. "Zeus, a Nymbis as you can see, and Diana." Patting the Eevee in my lap again, I wondered what I should do for dinner. I didn't really want to eat with my friends, maybe something quiet with just my Pokémon. That sounded fairly more appealing. And my Trainer Card had a fair bit on it, so I may as well treat myself to a, well, treat.

Taking Pokémon to a restaurant probably wouldn't be at the top of most people's list; actually, it probably isn't on anyone's list. Most people in their right minds wouldn't do it, but then again, I'm not most people. And I had all the Pokémon under strict oath to behave. And they did…. For the most part. Apart from an incident where Artemis though he'd try and steal some Hot Chilli Blasters from the table when I wasn't looking, and when Helios the Mareep got hiccups and ended up cooking some sushi we had. Apart from that, we were good. We left the restaurant with happy faces, full stomachs, a 'lighter' Trainer Card and, in Artemis's case, an aversion to hot and spicy foods. I neglected to inform him that milk, yogurt and bread did better to calm his fiery mouth than water did. Not that I could, I had burst into hysterical laughter when he had dove for the jug of water on the table and gotten himself stuck in it.

I couldn't put up with the thought of walking back with the Pokémon after having had dinner with them, so I returned them all to their Pokéballs. Walking along the streets in silence, I slipped quietly into my thoughts, going over the entire day, and feeling slightly guilty over my outburst at Ashlee. I'd almost got myself feeling guilty enough to apologize, when my attention was caught by sudden movement to my left. Looking, I saw the fairground where the carnival was set up. A battle was in process currently, between a Breloom and a Piloswine. It was hard to tell who was winning, but I took a guess and decided that the Piloswine was winning, judging from the scratches and bruises dotting the Breloom's skin. Turning my head, I could see another battle in progress, though that one seemed far bigger than this one. Walking along a fence that cut me off from walking onto the actual battlefields, I went along to the larger battle, and it was definitely larger.

What looked like _ten_ Pokémon were in a melee, dust, fire, water, electricity and vines were flying everywhere. I looked at it in muted surprise; this wasn't something often seen. The calling of the trainers to their Pokémon was almost drowned out by the screaming of the crowd, which was one reason why all the Pokémon were probably in a huge tussle like that. Instinct made me jump to the side in my stunned state as a wire-thin bolt of electricity zapped past me. A jump forward again as a flamethrower came my way saved my backside, but when what looked like a Tri-Attack came my way, my mind and body went blank. The sensation of a moving body of matter hitting my side impacted upon my brain before my head collided with the ground. White pain flared up, and my body came back to my control again.

My eyes slammed close as I curled up, clutching my head. The person who had tackled me didn't let me lie there, however, and grabbed my arm. Some sense came through the haze of the pain and I stumbled to my feet and let myself be dragged. When I was turned around and the back of my knees hit something, I automatically sat down, still clutching my head. I was aware of someone talking to me, evident when the pain began to lessen and I could hear the voice clearer.

"–ok? Here, sit down for a while and I'll see if I can get an icepack. Graham?" A young, male voice answered. The first voice asked Graham to go to the Gym and get an icepack. The word 'Gym' caught my attention, and I finally opened my eyes, blinking away some of the pain tears that simply rested on my eyelashes. A young lady looked back at me; like a princess out of a fairytale. Blonde hair, blue eyes, blemish-less complexion, and the hand that was touching a cut on my temple was soft. An overwhelming urge to trust this girl filled me, a feeling I tried to shove away. It came back, however, and managed to win the fight. Growing up with Ani, who was, among other things, a very strong Empath, had taught me that not all emotions belonged to me. I had demonstrated some empathy powers too, but nothing compared to Ani's. In the end, they'd annoyed me so much that I had asked my father to seal that ability away, thus leaving me empathy-less.

"Are you ok?" The girl's voice bought me out of my musings. I smiled weakly, and nodded, an action that bought a wave of pain and dizziness upon me again. A young boy rushed up behind the girl, holding a blue square in his hands. Accepting the boy's tribute, the girl gently moved my hand and placed the ice-pack on my temple. "I'm Kiera, by the way."

Kiera, the name struck a bell. I said it again mentally, and then realised why. My mind filled in an automatic 'N' to the end of the name, making it Keiran, the name of the little boy who had helped me find the Pokémon Centre earlier.

"Are you related to Kieran, by any chance?" Was the first thing out of my mouth. Kiera looked startled for a moment, before a wry grin appeared on her face.

"You're that Sam kid huh? He told me some guy defeated him. Good job on that, by the way. He was getting all high and mighty. All the kids around here just get Pokémon from their parents, and not very strong ones either." She finished with her voice sounding very wry. "As a result, they're easy pickings for someone with experience."

"And you?" I asked, bringing up my fingers to press the ice-pack to my head and indicating for Kiera to let go.

Raising her eyebrow into an expression of disbelief, Kiera asked me, "You don't know who I am, do you?"

I frowned. "No, I just got into town today. I might challenge the gym tomorrow, either that or find a way to get this stupid dye out of my hair." Using my other hand, I reached up and tugged at one of the strands of hair hanging just above my eyes.

This time Kiera's face turned to astonishment. "You're not a blond? A natural blond, sorry."

I sighed again. Because my hair was naturally red, the new blond in my hair seemed to have a core of red at the middle, making it look like my hair was natural blond. It was a good effect, but not one I wanted to see currently. "No, I'm normally a redhead."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

The conversation pretty much stopped there. Kiera sat next to me on the ground, while I just leaned back against a pole that Kiera had positioned me near. The silence in the direct vicinity was nice, the Marowak pounding the inside of my skull with its bone club was definitely making itself heard though. Pokémon cries and trainer's yelling drifted over the small fence and near to us. Kiera shifted slightly, so I cracked open one eye to see what was happening.  
Nick was there, looming close to me.  
Giving a yell, I shoved backwards, and straight back into the pole, jarring my head and causing the Marowak in my head to evolve to a yelling Exploud. I clutched my head in pain, tears starting to prickle at the corner of my eyes again. Once the Exploud had devolved back to the Marowak, I opened my eye to glare at Nick. "Feel better now? 'Cause I sure don't."

Nick nodded, grinning. Sighing, I swatted at him with my hand, not even reach half-way up the distance between us. Instead, Nick grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet, none too gently. Ignoring the Marowak, I looked at Nick. "What do you want?"

"Kat picked your lock, you weren't in there. She sent me out to find you." Nick said, not looked embarrassed at all.

Scowling at him, I asked him, "I'm still wanting to know exactly why Koga taught a curious girl like that how to pick locks."

"Lack of entertainment? I dunno, my favourite saying when she does that was always, 'Curiosity kill the Kat.' Never listened to me after that either."

Shaking my head, I handed the ice-pack back to Kiera, ho had been watching our conversation silently. "Thanks for that, I'll get the Chansey at the Pokémon Centre to check me out when I get back."

Kiera nodded her head. "Sure thing. And if you need to find me again, just ask for the Gym Leader of Romanc City." She said, a malicious grin on her face, before she turned on her heel and went in the opposite direction from us and into the fairground.

I looked after her blankly, before turning to look at Nick again. "Say a word and you'll be needing to use your feet to eat from now on."

Putting up his hands in submission, Nick grinned and nodded. "Wasn't gonna do anything of the sort mate."

"Sure you weren't."


	18. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen  
Some 'Light' Training

_We're all in this together.  
__Once we know that we are,  
__We're all stars,  
__And we see that_

_We're all in this together  
__And it shows  
__When we stand,  
__Hand in hand,_

_Making dreams come true._

_ Zac Efron and Vanessa Hugson  
__ High School Musical _

Sam's Point of View

I gave a start as I woke up, and stared at the ceiling before I realized that something was wrong. Where were the normal sounds that the others made? Nick's wheezes, Brendan's snores and Katrina's whimpers?  
Memory kicked in when I rolled over and was met with an empty room and a blond hair in my eye. Muttering, I swept my hair out of my eyes and swung my feet out from under the covers, before jerking them back under. It was _cold_! Light flooded the room, but it was still cold. Fumbling for my PokèNav, I swore when I saw the time.

_6:30 am._

It was definitely way too early for me to be up, let alone awake. I would have done anything for a sleep-in between here and Arw, but Katrina and Brendan always insisted on an early start. Raising my head from my pillow, I glared at the heater in the corner, willing it to turn on. I couldn't even open my eyes properly, let alone focus my mind to turn the heater on telekinetically. Not to mention, I didn't have that good a focus on my powers. I figured I had a 50 /50 chance of turning the heater on. The other chance was that the heater would blow up and I'd die in the explosion, but, hey, I'd die warm.  
Groaning, I rolled over onto my belly and looked out the window. The bunk bed was at the perfect height for me to look out the window and still be lying down. Very few people were out right now. The occasional jogger went past, as well as some Pokémon. The largest crowd was three people chasing a Skitty which had what looked like meat in its mouth and an expression of humour on its face.

So, I was lying there, enjoying the calm, when someone knocks on the door. The look that followed the knock probably could have peeled paint, but it didn't discourage the knocker; they simply knocked again.  
Muttering to myself, I got out from under the warm covers and made my way to the door, thinking of a way to punish the knocker for every step I took. Opening the door, I was met by Keira.

Blinking, I looked at her. "Keira."

"Hi Sam!" She said, way too perky for this hour of the morning. "Congratulations!"

I looked at her blankly, wondering what I should be congratulated for. The only thing that sprang to mind was me, Nick and Katrina busting up the Team Flora hideout, but that was ages ago. "What for?"

"You, and someone else, have been selected to represent all of Romanc City in its battle against Rorroh Town. When you logged in to the Pokémon Centre,your number was taken down and randomly pulled out of a barrel last night. Now, get dressed, you have a whole day of training to do! Meet me at the city Gym at 7:30!" And without waiting for a reply, she left, leaving me with a blank expression and bed-hair.

Going into the room, I shut the door quietly behind myself. "Mental note: In order to avoid being woken up in future, make sure the place you're staying at has no contests running." And with a sigh, I walked over to the door to the bathroom, turning on the heater as I passed it.  
Half an hour later saw me walking out of my now warm room and into the corridor. Going to my right, I emerged into the lobby of the Centre, before walking into the Food Hall. Five or so other people were up, all of them looking more active than me. They were chatting rapidly with each other, and far too loud for the hour.

Shuffling over to the kitchen window, I examined the hot food choices before selecting the Scrambled Eggs with toast and spaghetti option. With my food in tow, I claimed an empty table and began to wonder if I should risk the wrath of my Pokémon by releasing them and telling them the 'Good' news.  
Deciding not to, I began eating, stopping in the middle of a mouthful when I saw Katrina and Nick enter the hall. Calculations ran freely through my mind as I figured out what to do, before I shrugged. Food was more important than a fight. I didn't have anything against Nick, only Katrina, and that was slight. Ashlee on the other hand, she would look back on the day she turned my hair blond with a twitch in her eye. Once I had come up with a form of revenge anyway.

I was so absorbed in this line of thought that I didn't notice Kat and Nick bringing their food to the table until they were actually sitting. Katrina looked at me with a quizzical look on her face, plainly wondering why I was up, while Nick was more preoccupied with his food than trying to solve one of life's mysteries; why I was up before mid-day on a day when I could have slept in.  
Through a mouthful of food, I explained to Katrina what I had 'won'. Confusion changed to exasperation in the first few sentences while I explained.

"Nick won the same thing. Looks like you two are gonna be battling together against the 'Champions of Darkness' the Rorroh will be supplying." Katrina paused a second while she let this information set in. "Oh great, Romanc is doomed."

I swatted half-heartedly at her, mostly at the slight against mine and Nick's battling skills. A sudden mental blank came to me, which prompted the question, 'Uh, Nick? You do have Pokémon other than Sparx and Healtia, don't you?" I didn't really count Chicken as a Pokémon. Not one that would be off use in battle anyway.

When Nick's response was to slam his head down on the table, I looked at Katrina. The look on her face suggested that she'd already had this discussion with him. "Don't ask. I've offered to lend him Electra or Dirden, but he refused."

I gave Nick a piercing look, one that was wasted due to his being face down on the table. Something told me that he was feeling slightly insignificant. He hadn't caught any Pokémon since Chicken. Casting my mind back, I realised that he had caught the Caterpie that had attacked me after I had stood on its tail, but that was ages ago, back in Comed Town. "Hey, what happened to that Caterpie you caught in Comed?"

Nick gave a shudder, one that was probably attached to a wince. Katrina frowned, before her own memory filled her in. "That's right, what did you do with it? You didn't put it in the computer with Chicken, did you?"

Nick looked up, a red mark on his forehead from where it had been resting on the table. "No, I've kept Insecticide with me."

"Insecticide?"

Nick winced, again. "Yeah, that's what I called it. At least, that's what I called it when it reached this stage." Grabbing a Pokéball from his belt, he clicked it open. Red energy zapped between me and Katrina and onto the bench behind us, before forming in a Butterfree. This Butterfree wasn't the normal colouring however. It was more black than white. I frowned at it, perplexed, before I snapped my fingers.

"Ah, when a Butterfree is black, it means that its Psychic powers are more dominant than its Bug and Flying ones!" I exclaimed. I'd read the information in a Breeder's Digest, when they had been doing a special feature on bug Pokémon. Then I frowned. How come I hadn't sensed its presence in the camp?

Nick however, caught on to what I was thinking and pointed down to the base of the Butterfree's foot A small, black device was there. Leaning in, I took a closer look. The Butterfree, or 'Insecticide', unused to my presence, took up and flapped over to Nick's shoulder, covering me in a fine white dust. My eyes watering, I sneezed before looking at Nick. "That's a Psy-Neut!"

Nick nodded. "Otherwise all the bug Pokémon nearby would attack her. They REALLY don't like having a psychic Butterfree around. I was training in Arw City, after you two left, when we were attacked by a Trainer's own Butterfree. We found out from Nurse Joy after that and Insecticide was issued with a Psy-Neut. Apparently the reason for Insecticide being strongly psychic is being in the presence of strong, uncontrolled psychic energies. That'd be you, when you were at the stage when you loved to use your powers on me and Kat."

I grimaced, and amazingly, blushed. With my face hot, I quickly muttered an apology.

"Yeah, well, it's all in the past." Nick said, more cheerfully. "Anyway, time for us to go anyway. Can't be late, or Keira would shoot us. Or love us to death, whatever their form of death is in this place."

"Good point"

"Ok, you two have fun. Play nice with the other kids, unless the other kids want to beat you, in which case, you kick those other kid's butts." Katrina said cheerfully, before finally starting on her now cold breakfast.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I could have sworn I've heard that somewhere before."

"Yeah, well, those voices in your head tend to talk and sing a lot."

"Bite me."

"Name the place."

I gave up, began muttering and exited the hall. Nick walked by my side, humming to himself. Insecticide on his shoulder looked odd and completely mismatched with Nick. Walking out into the lobby, Insecticide drew attention to herself when she took off, to hover over the door. I smiled wryly. This was one Pokémon that wanted out, desperately. Curiously, I reached out with my powers, wanting to get to know the thoughts behind the form, but my powers suddenly encountered a void. A space in the world that rejected my powers. A shudder went through my body, and I retracted my powers.  
Nick held out his arm and looked meaningfully up at the Butterfree. Swooping down, the Butterfree landed on his arm and proceeded to star at me with its multifaceted eyes.

I smiled again. "You remember me from when I accidentally stepped on your tail, don't you?" I asked the bug type. It gave a short nod of its head, before opening its mouth and giving me a short spray of a String Shot. I went cross-eyed as I looked at the small ball of white at the end of my nose, before turning my view back to Insecticide. "I'm so gonna get you back for that."

Nick gave a laugh, before putting an arm behind me and pushing me out of the Centre. The city was beginning to get more active, with people and Pokémon alike waking up. Pulling the white ball off of my nose, I looked at it thoughtfully, before turning my attention to a snoring noise coming from a nearby Chestnut Tree. A Skitty was up in the lower branches, looking slightly fat, but happy.  
Looking back ahead, I saw that Nick had gotten ahead of me. Jogging a little to catch up, I continued to drink in the sights of the city. I hadn't gotten much of a chance to yesterday, being annoyed by several factors.  
For such a small city, the Gym was probably as far as could be from the Pokémon Centre as you could get. It was in a part of the city that made you think someone just put it there to keep it out of the way, but not wanting to offend the League, hadn't actually put it outside of the city.  
The gym itself was an interesting structure. Built to look like a rising sun, well, I assumed rising, it was a semi-circle coming form the ground with short, stubby pillars coming out of the top of it. Wondering how they had managed to build a Gym that defied physics, I shrugged. It promised a headache I didn't really want. The gym was also a yellow that reminded me of gold, but at the same time, something else that slipped my mind.  
The Gym inside could have been more different. A small, wooden room served as the lobby, and the only other place leading to, or from, the lobby, was a long, black corridor that was full of mist.

Looking above the entrance to the passage, I read a sign.

"_You are one who seeks the light,  
__You now find a foe you cannot fight.  
__For this battle, you will look within.  
__And if you cannot accept, you cannot win._

_For only you can play the part,  
__And wage a battle with your heart._'

"Cheery." Nick mumbled beside me. "So, I'm gonna guess the trials of this gym are based around emotions and stuff." Stopping, Nick looked at me and grinned. "Guess you're stuffed then."

"Why?"

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes, his grin never leaving his face. "Over your head."

A small click alerted us to the presence of someone. A hidden door was being opened in the wall to our right. Keira looked out and caught sight of us. "Don't worry about the Trials, you two don't need to do them." Motioning us inside, she quickly shut the door behind us. Holding her hand up in the air, Keira's hand suddenly began to glow as a ball of light was summoned.  
I rolled my eyes. Keira was psychic. Solarkinetic, or Umbrakinetic, if you wanted to be specific. She could control light or shadows with her mind.  
Following her, I wondered where we were going. My question was answered as we entered into a large stadium. Looking to my left, I saw another corridor, this one also had mist coming from it, like it's twin at the other end. This one had a different inscription though, one that read,

"_You have triumphed over your own soul,  
__And now you are here at your goal.  
__But will you still have strength to fight,  
__Now you know you aren't completely light?_

_It isn't a foe against whom you've won.  
__It's your heart, the part you've shunned._"

I shivered. It didn't sound like a pleasant Trial to go through. Type-Trouncing at the Arw City Gym was easy, but this was on a completely different level.  
Keira motioned for me and Nick to stop. Walking over to the wall, she paused and turned on the lights, allowing me and Nick to see the Stadium completely. It was less glorious than I had expected, quite blank really. It contained a simple, painted field, and some paintings on the wall. Looking up at the nearest one, I could see Ho oh waging war with a Dark Lugia. Team Cipher in Oore had recently started up again, and there were rumours going around that they had created a Dark Lugia, one that had had its heart closed in a laboratory. Pokémon like that were dangerous, as they didn't care who they hurt, humans, other Pokémon and even themselves.

Keira followed my eyes up to the painting. "This was painted five years ago, during the last Dark Pokémon crisis. The artist imagined a Ho oh, representing all the normal Pokémon, battling a Dark Lugia, representing all the Dark Pokémon. Unfortunately, his painting seems to have become a reality. But that isn't why we're here." Keira pointed up at a painting on the opposite wall, this one displaying Mew battling a strange Pokémon that looked like a cloud of black. Missingno. "That's why we're here."

The tale of Mew and Missingno was an ancient one. Ages ago, shortly after the creation of the world, darkness spread across the world, turning all life it met into shadows. Eventually, in the final hour of the world, Mew had shown up and faced Missingno. It had been a long and tiring battle, one that had lasted days, but finally Mew had vanquished Missingno with an attack called 'Heaven's Cry'. This attack was Mew's signature move, and Missingno was destroyed. All life Missingno had destroyed was restored to life by Mew. After setting the world back to balance, Mew went into hiding, and is still recovering its strength apparently. It will only show up in the world's darkest hour, when there is only the tiniest ray of hope.  
Looking up at the painting, a sudden weight on my shoulders made me realise Nick and I were representing Mew and its power, while the two who had been chosen to go against us was Missingno's 'Reincarnation'.

"Now, training." Keira's voice suddenly broke through my thoughts. Shaking my head, I looked back at her and paid attention. "Today, one of your Pokémon will be learning a Light elemental move. Only two trainers, plus myself, have their Pokémon know this move, and only two Pokémon every year are given it. Not even my apprentices will learn this move unless they take over from me. Both of you release your Pokémon, and I will tell you which Pokémon can learn it."

Grabbing my Pokéballs from my belt, I released my Pokémon, while Nick released the two Pokémon not in their Pokéballs.. Soon, a Mudkip, Nymbis, Polienix, Mareep, Eevee, Pichu, Chicken and a Butterfree were assembled in front of us. Keira took one look at the entire assortment in one quick gaze, before pointing at Hera the Polienix and Insecticide the Butterfree. "Those two.

Raising a finger, Keira beckoned Hera and Insecticide to approach. Insecticide obeyed immediately, but Hera simply looked confused by the motion. Looking back at me, I sighed and stepped forward to pick her up. Taking her forward, and in answer to Keira's raised eyebrow, I said, 'She hatched only a few weeks ago. I can't even understand her yet."

Keira nodded, now enlightened. "That'll make the battle a bit harder, but that's why we're training today."

Reaching into her pocket, Keira drew out two small machines that looked like discs. Technical Machines, or TMs, were capable of teaching Pokémon moves they didn't learn normally, so it made sense that Keira had this machine on a TM. Looking down at the discs, Keira suddenly met my eyes, and then switched to look directly at Nick.

"Ok, you two. You have to make sure that these two are the Pokémon you want to learn this move. Once they know this move, they will develop a vulnerability to Dark Type moves, and some markings might appear on the Pokémon. The mark won't be able to be removed, but it shouldn't in be too hazardous a spot. So, are you sure you want them to learn this move? Or would you prefer using the PC to grab another Pokémon? Or even borrow a Pokémon from someone who is willing to let their Pokémon do this?"

I bit my lip. I'd have preferred to have discussed this with Hera herself, but she was too young to understand what was going on. The weakness to Dark-type moves was bad, but since she would know a Light Type attack, it should balance itself out. The markings shouldn't cause too much trouble, but it was more the fact that it was a powerful attack for a Pokémon her age to learn.  
Sighing, I motioned for Keira to wait for a minute. I looked at my Pokémon, before pointing to Zeus, Diana and Helios to come over to me. Artemis was currently occupying himself by poking Chicken, and he probably wouldn't be much help with this kind of thing anyway. Walking over to a corner, I crouched down until I was on the level of the Pokémon.

"Ok, guys. I need your opinion on this one. You heard what Keira said right? Well, what do you think? Should Hera be learning this attack?"

Diana blinked in surprise; Helios looked unmoved while Zeus lowered himself closer to the ground. Each began their own thoughts on the matter, before Diana said tentatively, "I honestly think she shouldn't. It's far too powerful an attack for a Pokémon her age to be learning, and unless we keep a constant eye on her, she could end up flaunting it. I'd take it that this isn't an attack we should be just showing off to everyone and their Houndour."

I nodded, Diana did give sound reasons. Helios looked at me for a few seconds and then said his opinion. "I think you should. A Light Attack would balance out our team even more, and Hera can be taught to be sparing with her elemental attacks. Polienixes aren't normally known for showing off anyway. Not to mention, should she encounter trouble from more powerful Pokémon, this attack could put them in their places."

I turned to look at Zeus, before stopping. Zeus didn't even talk anyway. Not to me, or anyone, now that I thought of it. However, I thought I might as well try and get something out of he that wasn't a physically nod or shake. "Zeus?"

Not expecting an answer, my mind went onto other things. However, a deep, booming voice filled my ears. It reminded me of thunder on a calm day, the sort that you didn't expect and it made you jump from the abruptness of it.

"Let her learn the attack."

That was all, but it was more than I needed. I had witnessed the way the other Pokémon seemed to defer to Zeus. I didn't know how old he was, but I had the suspicion he was older than all the other Pokémon.

Glaring at Zeus, I made the remark, "You know, for a prankster, you do achieve a certain kind of power."

Zeus grinned in reply, before sending a wire-thin lightning bolt at my body. The muscle it hit spasmed wildly, but I knew it was only a love-tap from Zeus, more a sign of affection than anything. Changing my glare to a smile, I ventured back to the others and Keira. Artemis had finished poking Chicken, and had instead moved onto batting around a small white object that I suspected was an egg. Looking at Keira, I nodded. A half-smile appeared on her face, and she crouched down. Insecticide landed on the floor next to Hera, causing the tiny Blue bird Pokémon to hop away a few centimetres. Reached out with her hands, a TM in each, Keira put a TM on both Hera's and Insecticide's heads. The TMs began to glow, making me look away. The glow steadily got brighter and brighter, before it faded away, leaving the two Pokémon glowing white. My throat hitched as my brain clamoured. Hera wasn't evolving was she? Insecticide _couldn't_ evolve, so what was going on?

As if it had never been there, the white light suddenly disappeared. I gave a blink, before scanning Hera all over for signs of damage. She was fine, and so was Insecticide. Insecticide, however, had changed in its appearance. Its long, curling antennas had gone a pearly white.  
Looking back at Hera, I looked over her again for signs of white marks. Hera gave a soft chirp, before hopping around to face me. Spreading her wings, she took off from the ground and headed towards me. I caught her as she landed on my arms, before gently extending her right wing.  
A white circle was on her side.  
Putting the wing back down, I carefully extended her other wing, to find another, identical dot, on her side. Sighing, I let her wing drop. The dots were fairly hidden, so no questions should be asked, unless we met a particularly observant person.

"Another thing we discovered about learning this move is that Light Pokémon, and Pokémon that know this move can not be turned into Dark Pokémon. We found it out five years ago, when Cipher stole a Pokémon from a Trainer that had represented Romanc City. They couldn't change it, so they eventually let it go. The Pokémon was found out in the Oore Desert, passed out from the heat."

I winced. "I didn't really need to know the last part."

Keira gave a sad, half-smile. "We found it in time, and the Trainer was reunited, and decided to dedicate her life to studying Light Pokémon."

A suspicion flared up in my mind, and I gave Keira a scrutinising look. It met her back as she turned around and entered a door. A few seconds later, she appeared on a level above us, in what looked like a Control Room. She obviously did something there, because the field we were standing on suddenly shook. Six doors opened in the floor, and six targets appeared. Leaning over to put her mouth to a microphone, Keira said, "Ok, first test. Target practice. Insecticide, you go for the red targets. Hera will go for the blue ones.

I put Hera down, in front of the targets. A could almost see a question mark appear above her head as she gazed at the painted target. I sighed, and stepped forward a bit. "Ok, Hera, what I need for you to do is use that new attack you just got on that target there."

I stepped back behind Hera, and waited to see if she understand. When she opened her mouth, I took a few steps back. A ball of yellow light began building in the mouth of the bird Pokémon. When it reached the size of her head, Hera suddenly released it at the target. The only impression I got of the actual attack was the target exploding and a blur of yellow and blue going back between my legs. Hera was gone from her spot, so I took the logical choice and looked behind me to find Hera against the wall, panting and exhaling smoke.  
I blinked, and then gave a snort of laughter. A titter of laughter followed my own as the other Pokémon watching saw what happened. Walking quickly over to Hera, I picked her up and patted her, waiting until she was a bit more rested. Looking up at Keira in the control room, I saw her give me a thumbs up. Leaning forward, she called through the mike,

"Great. She's got Long-Distance ability. She doesn't need to be so close then. Might want to work on her bracing herself though. And maybe how long she holds the attack should be worked on. If she had used it any longer, you'd have said goodbye to any kids you were planning on having."

I could have sworn my eye twitched as she said that. Forcing it out of my mind, I looked at the second target Hera needed to hit. "Try for that one now. I'll make sure you don't go anywhere." The distance was better. Since long distance elemental beams seemed to be her specialty, I decided to stay where I was.

Hera shut her eyes grimly, before opening her beak again. The beam charged up, and was let loose again, hitting the target on the side and causing it to spin. Bits of the Light Beam went everywhere, knocking down and destroying all of Insecticide's remaining targets and nearly rendering Sparx headless. Looking around at the now smoking gym, I shared a look with Nick, and then Keira. The look on Keira's face was interesting, until she burst out laughing. "Ok, enough training now I think."

I couldn't resist adding sarcastically, "You _think_?"

Keira rolled her eyes, and vanished from the Control Room. She came out of the door and over to Hera, frowning slightly. "Now we've gotta figure out why this tiny Polienix can be that powerful. What was it's mother?"

"Anticairon."

Keira's eyebrows went up and she looked impressed. "Well, that'd explain it then. Well, partially. Has Hera ever used any attacks before?"

"No."

"That'd explain the rest of it." To my enquiring look, Keira answered, "Baby Pokémon tend to build up a lot of excess power in their eggs. Their first ten battles or so and they'll be as powerful as a level 20 Pokémon, but after that they go back to a more natural power level. It's also a safety mechanism, giving the baby Pokémon enough time to grow more powerful to give them a greater chance of survival. If we have only three or so practice battles, Hera should still be energised enough to help us win at the battle."

"Uh huh. So, why wasn't our friend's Dratini more powerful than normal when it hatched?" Nick asked. He had come over when Keira began looking at Hera.

Keira graced Nick with a dazzling smile. "Dragon Pokémon are always powerful, no matter what level they're at. If you actually watched this Dratini in battle, you'd find it capable of feats unmatched by other Pokémon its level."

"Ah. Now I understand why Katrina likes Dragon Types so much." Nick muttered. I snorted. Power didn't seem to interest Katrina in the least, she already had hundreds of ways to hurt you without calling on her Pokémon.

"Well, let's knuckle down and get to it. By the time you leave here, you're gonna be knowing every single strategy used in The Battle since it was first run." Keira said perkily. At our groans, she smiled and her eyes twinkled merrily. "I _knew_ you'd be happy."


	19. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen  
Trials of the Heart

_Why don't I like the girl I see?  
__The one that's standing right in front of me.  
__Why don't I think before I speak?  
__I should've listened to that voice inside me._

_I must be stupid, must be crazy,  
__Must be outta my mind,  
__To say the things I said last night._

_Mirror, mirror, hanging on the wall.  
__You don't have to tell me;  
__Who's the biggest fool of all._

_Mirror, mirror I wish you could lie to me,  
__And bring my baby back,  
__Bring my baby back  
__To me._

_ Mirror, Mirror  
__M2M_

Sam's Point of View)

Lunchtime. The instant that Keira had said it, I had groaned in relief. Food was sounding great right now. All morning we had been training, with Pokémon and Trainers alike getting a workout. Diana had managed to learn Roll-Out though, an unexpected bonus that had resulted from the young Eevee tripping over and chasing Artemis down.  
Keira's training philosophy, it had seemed, was 'For the Pokémon to be fit, the Trainer must be fit'. My muscles didn't agree with her. Especially after we'd done thirty laps of the gym's stadium. Zeus the Nymbis had been excluded, sine he didn't actually have muscles to tire out. Sparx the Pichu had come in first, with Diana and Artemis a near second and third. Nick had gone and come fourth, Hera had come fifth, while I was left behind some of the other Pokémon to come a dead last. 'Dead' because that's what I had wanted to be afterwards.  
Straggling after the Pokémon, we departed the gym through the hidden door. Emerging out into the bright sunlight made me blink, and also spurred the thought that it wasn't too well lit in the Gym of Light.  
The trip to the Pokémon Centre was bad. Almost worse was Artemis and Nick making fun of me on the way back.

"Better watch it Sam or you might be forbidden to have flying Pokémon. We don't want an eclipse every time you take off!"

"_You know Nick, Sam's seen a legendary Pokémon._"

"He has?"

"_Yep. He sat on a rainbow and a Ho-oh popped out!"_

"I wonder if we should weigh him? Actually, better not. There probably isn't a scale in the city that would accept him without saying 'We Don't Do Onix'!"

"You know you two; I'm actually quite light for my age. Now stop lowering your standards with the insults. I know I just lowered mine by talking to you two." I retorted, giving them a glare. The blank looks on their faces made me smile. Dropping back a little, I left them wondering If I had just insulted them or not.  
Now that I was behind them, and with the more sympathetic Diana, I began deciding what to have for lunch. We weren't due back at the Gym for another two hours, which gave me plenty of time to have lunch and relax a little.  
The Pokémon Centre was the same as before. Albeit, a little more crowded now that it was midday. Heading back into the Food Hall, I looked around for signs of familiar life. When I saw only Brendan, and what looked like half of all the food in the kitchen, I gave a sigh of relief. Walking up to one of the counters, I submitted all of my Pokémon that were in Pokéballs to the lady behind the counter. Now that the Pokémon were being cared for, I grabbed some lunch of my own and claimed a spot across the table from Brendan. Looking down at the food, I contemplated what I should eat first, before just taking a blind scoop of something with my fork and putting it in my mouth.

"How's the training going?" Brendan asked me. Pointing to my stuffed mouth, I swallow after a few seconds, washed the food down with some water, before replying, "Oh, great. If you count running in circles, nearly getting blasted from behind by concentrated light and throwing things around for your Pokémon to aim at as being great. Don't suppose you wanna swap? But then again, Keira might notice that you're not me." I mused on that thought, before I noticed the look that Brendan was giving me. "What?"

"You know, exercising is meant to release endorphins that make you happy. Maybe you were looking the other way when they were handing out that particular body function? Or maybe it was surgically removed at your birth?"

"If you aren't quiet, your brain will be surgically removed at the present." I growled, making mocking stabbing actions with my fork. Or was it a spork? I had no idea. Suddenly distracted by this run of thought, I wasn't aware of Brendan's reply until he said my name.

"Sam?"

I gave a start and looked at him. "What?"

"Ok, I just insulted you and your Pokémon. Currently I'm awaiting some kind of sarcastic remark that I can retaliate towards." The look on Brendan's face was far too innocent. Knowing that he wanted me to insult him right back, I kept quiet and continued to eat.

Something abruptly nagged at my mind. The sort of feeling you get when you know you have to remember something, but you just can't remember what it is. A sense of the room I was staying in flashed through my mind, and I got up and abandoned my food. Brendan watched me leave the hall, a startled look on his face, before he shrugged and dragged my almost untouched food over to his half of the table.  
I ghosted through the hallways of the Pokémon Centre, ignoring the people I passed. Upon reaching my room, I put my hand into my pocket and drew out the door key. Almost in a trance, I opened the door. After that, I only had the sense of two hands putting themselves on my head, on my temples, and after that, darkness.

Some time later)

A throbbing headache ran through my head, similar to the one I had last night. Opening my eyes, I was met with a white roof. Raising my head, I discovered I was on my bed in the Pokémon Centre. It was daytime, and taking a look at my PokèNav which was still in its pocket, I gave a yelp when I saw that it was 2:35pm! I knew I had been tired last night, but definitely not this tired. Getting up, I dashed around the room, into the shower, and out again, before getting changed and leaving my room.  
The Lobby was my first stop. Screeching to a stop in front of Nurse Joy, I stammered, "Can I grab my Pokémon please?"

Giving me a blank look, Nurse Joy said nothing. Raising my eyebrow, I looked around warily, wondering if something was about to jump out at me, I looked back at the nurse. "Hello?"

"Didn't you pick your Pokémon up earlier?"

"No." I said slowly, thinking back. My last memory was running into Keira last night. At the mention of her name, I quickly thought of the gym. I still needed to challenge it. Coming suddenly back to the subject at hand, I suddenly thought of the others. Maybe they had picked my Pokémon up!  
Shaking my head, I nodded to the nurse who regarded me with a look similar to someone who was in the same paddock as an enraged Tauros. Walking further back into the Pokémon Centre, I emerged in the Food Hall. Hope was in there. Giving her a quick wave, I exited the hall in the search of the others. Waling out into the lobby, I got another strange look from Nurse Joy. Ignoring her, I continued outside into the sunlight. When I didn't see anyone, I sighed and reached beneath my shirt, drawing out my PokéNav I punched a few numbers in before I reached Katrina's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kat. I'm surprised you didn't wake me up. Do you have my Pokémon?" I asked. My PokèNav had been on audio before, when it suddenly went to visual. Katrina's face appeared, looking confused.

"No. You had them when you went to the Gym earlier. Why aren't you there? Nick said you only had an hour for lunch."

Now was my turn for confusion. "I just woke up, Kat-"The PokèNav suddenly crackled and roared. Wincing, I looked at Katrina when she came back into view. "Just a sec Kat, I'll see if I can fix this up. Wonder what's with the distortion?" Using my powers, I reached out the focused it on the machine in my hand, helping it to pick up a signal. Instead, the screen deadened instantly as the machine sparked, and then died. A whisp of acidic smoke curled up out of it as I looked down at it, startled.

"That can't be good." I muttered. Flipping the machine over, I saw a blackened part of it smoking, something obviously destroyed. I swore, quite fluently. My powers weren't so extreme that I could suddenly lose control of them. Taking off the cord that the PokèNav was attached to, I put it in my pocket, before flipping over my wristband and taking a look at my TWT. It was fine, except a small red light was on. Wondering what it was for, I shook my head and retreated back into the Pokémon Centre and into my room. Grabbing my bag, I took out my old PokèNav, the one I had had before the International League had given me a new one. Dialling in Katrina's number, the machine told me that her PokèNav was either turned off or unavailable. I raised an eyebrow, before stretching out with my mind. I located Katrina's mind-pattern on the other side of the town. Too far for me to talk to her telepathically, but I decided to try anyway.

_Katrina_?

A sudden barrier hit my powers and bounced them back to me. A mental echo went through my head. What had stopped my powers? Now, very annoyed, I stood up. My Pokémon were missing and Katrina was suddenly unavailable. Switching into 'Hero' mood, I stormed out the door, heading for where Katrina was. Whatever was blocking my powers didn't stop me from being connected to Kat; it just stopped any psychic waves going down the link.  
Brendan went past me on my way out of the Centre. He took one look at my face, and knew something was wrong. He instantly wheeled around and fell into step beside me.

"Sam, what's wrong? I haven't seen you since lunch. That was about three hours ago. Nick left a while ago as well, he told me to tell you that you can catch up."

I slowed down, before stopping. I turned to look at Brendan. "Lunch? I just woke up. What's with everyone today?" Not waiting for an answer, I continued on. Unnoticed, Brendan stopped behind me, frowning. Pulling out his own, green, PokèNav, he pressed a few buttons.

"Kat? Yeah, it's me. What's with Sam? He's acting weird. What do mean, why am I asking you? You're the only one available. Nick's at the Gym and phone calls don't get through the walls. You know how they have those Sonic Barriers. I don't know Hope well enough, and I'm not even gonna ask Ashlee. She won't know. What? You PokèNav shut down when you were talking with Sam? That's not good. I'll get back to you on that." Switching off his mobile, Brendan stared off into the distance. Biting his lip, a sudden light sparkled in his eyes.

"No way. She wouldn't. She can't, it's illegal. But it'd explain that-." Not finishing the sentence, he took off.

By now, I was a few blocks away from Kat. People bustled either side of me, but I ignored them, contemplating a battle-plan without my Pokémon. Rounding the corner, I was met with Katrina, her arms crossed in front of her chest, in her butt-kicking pose.  
Raising my eyebrow, I looked at her. "You're alright?" It was a statement and a question.

Katrina rolled her eyes, before walking forward and grabbing me by the wrist. "Come with me."

I followed, when she stopped in front of what looked like a sun, I gave her another look. "This the Gym?"

She slapped her forehead, saying 'Duh!' before leading me inside. Once inside, I looked around with interest. A single corridor was in the room, and it was filled with a mist. Above the corridor, there was an inscription, and as I read it, I frowned.

"That can't be good."

Katrina stopped suddenly and let go of me. Turning around, she glared. "Don't go anywhere."  
I nodded, and once I did, she nodded once herself and took off into the mist.

Katrina's Point of View)

The mists swirled and pulsed around me. Running forward, I had only one thought in mind: 'Figure out what was wrong with Sam'. So, I was going directly to someone who should know. The gym leader of the city.  
Abruptly, I stopped. What was that?  
A voice suddenly went through my head, talking in a rhyme.

_The first test now you'll see.  
__Upon you shall be placed the law of three.  
__What you do, so you shall reap.  
__Take nothing, for only knowledge you'll keep._

My surroundings suddenly changed. I was in a deserted neighbourhood. A wind whipped around me as I looked around warily. A snuffling sound came to my ears and I turned my head. A small girl was curled up against a wall. Walking over to her, I crouched down. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked at me, her eyes red with tears. "My Skitty, it went up a tree and it can't get down. I'm too little to get it. Can, can you help me?"

I winced. I wasn't particularly fond of Skitties. "Show me the tree and I'll try to help. I'm probably not that much bigger than you."

The girl pointed to my left, and a mewling sound called out. A tree had appeared, and in its branches was the small, cat Pokémon. Looking at the tree, I saw the branches were just in my reach. Walking over to the tree, I reached up and hoisted myself up. Climbing up, I kept an eye on the Skitty. When I reached the branch below it, the tree suddenly had no more branches strong enough for me to climb on. Sighing, I reached up to the Skitty.  
"Come here you stupid thing." I told it. It gave a hiss, and swiped at my hands, cutting my finger. "Ow!"

Looking down at my finger, a drop of blood pooled quickly. Sticking the finger in my mouth, I rethought my action plan. Reaching up again, I looked it in the eyes. "Can you please come here?"

It looked wary, before coming closer. It came close enough for me to grab, and grab it I did, roughly pulling it off the branch before it got the idea to run in its head. It hissed again, but a far louder sound caught my attention. The branch beneath me snapped, and we plummeted, and landed on a branch five feet below. Wobbling, I groaned in pain. Wondering how I had landed on the branch, I saw that I had angled enough to have simply fallen on it in a way that I was sitting on it. Wincing, I stood up, before climbing down a branch. The Skitty growled, before it attacked with a fury, scratching me while it was in my arms. Deep cuts appeared on my arms from it. I yelled in pain, and went down the tree as fast as I could. The instant I hit the ground, the cat Pokémon stopped, and the girl rushed forward.

"Thank you!" She said, getting the Skitty from me. I relinquished it happily, focusing my attention on my cuts. The girl looked at them solemnly, before touching one with a finger. The cuts suddenly healed, and white flesh was in its place. A white light filled my vision, and I was suddenly in the corridor again.

_The law of three you have learnt,  
__You have received what you earnt.  
__Good deeds you have been rewarded for,  
__But bad deeds you were punished and more._

_The Test of Kindness you have passed,  
__But this test won't be your last._

Shivering, I took a shaky step forward, and then another. Walking forward, I smiled slightly. The way was clear. Walking now, I went back to my original journey of getting through to find Keira, when I suddenly dropped. Dark surrounded me, when I suddenly landed. Straightening, I looked around. The darkness thinned, until I could see a single, shadowy figure. Drawing a Pokéball, he released a Pokémon from it. A Scyther emerged, looking quite angry, but it didn't move. Suddenly, the figure clicked their fingers and I was rooted to the spot. Drogan the Dratini appeared from nowhere and in the line of the Scyther. The orange glint of Drogan's skin looked red in this light, and that was enough for the Scyther. It flew forward, its scythes glimmering. At the last second, Drogan suddenly dodged, and looked wildly around. When he saw me, his eyes widened happily. "_Mummy_!"

"Drogan! Turn and use Thunderwave!

I didn't want to hurt this Scyther, just stop it. I wasn't expecting Drogan to understand me, but when he turned, he opened his mouth. A wave of yellow flew out and went towards the Scyther. When it hit it, the Scyther, Drogan and the Thunderwave disappeared.

Throwing another Pokéball, the shadow figure moved. Suddenly I was able to move myself. Out came a Jynx, looking smug. When it saw me, It came towards me. I thought quickly. The dress was making it slow, so I used that to my advantage. Moving quickly around the Jynx, I looked for my mark. All Jynx had a weak spot in the middle of their back, one that made them freeze. Something to do with their nerves and things.  
Spotting it, I leapt, and missed. The Jynx was slow at moving, but it could still turn, still slowly. Turning my jump into a roll, I wound up in a crouching position and took off again, this time determined to get the Jynx. This time, I hit the mark, and the Jynx disappeared. I dropped again, and landed on the floor of the corridor.

_The Test of Compassion you have faced,  
__You have stopped each Pokémon in their place.  
__By doing this, you show you'll do no pain,  
__Even if it's for your gain._

_Given the chance, you'll help, not hurt,  
__You play with fire, but you don't get burnt._

"Enough with the rhymes already." I muttered. Taking off again, I switched into my perception mode. Keeping an eye on everything, I relied on my intuition as much as my senses. It served me well when I managed to escape capture from the cage that tried to slam shut on me. Looking back at the cage, I smirked at it.  
A wind whipped around me, and for the third time, I was taken away to somewhere. I was definitely beginning to think that I was within my mind. The place I was in now was completely empty, apart from a single mirror. Walking forward a step, my footstep echoed around me. Unease crept into my stomach, and I looked around warily.

_This test will be your last,  
__Upon you this spell is cast.  
__Your own world you're used to and more,  
__And now we open this dimensional door._

_You cannot run, and you can't hide,  
__We now switch you to your other side._

I had come up to the mirror. In it, I saw myself. But I was different, colder, and more serious. Reaching up to touch my face, my reflection did the same. Reaching forward, I touched my reflection and my vision swam in front of me. When it was back to normal, I could see myself, the one I was accustomed to. A noise behind me made me swing. I saw something flash, but, instead of me standing numbly, I easily reached up and caught it. It was the arm of a man, and he was trying to hurt me. Suddenly, I realised that my body had left my control. My arms and feet continued to hurtle out, assaulting the man, until, with one last swing, he vanished. And as he did, memories sprang through my head.  
My younger brother, Mark. He was training with me. I knew our parents had been killed by a Rocket attack. My parents had been hiding rebels in our house, until they were all found.  
Uncle Lance, Aunt Claire, I could see them battling against Giovanni and Agatha of the Elite Four. My Aunt and Uncle were winning, until they had been ambushed by Rocket soldiers.  
Sam, he wasn't the one that I knew. He was harder, and more powerful. This version I could see in a field, using powerful psychic attacks and throwing Rocket soldiers away like they were rag dolls. Nick was next to him, almost as powerful as he used brute strength to lay the hurt on the Rockets. Ashlee, while she had been powerful in my world, she wasn't here. She was using her Pokémon to attack. Brendan was the same, teaming up to perform incredible attacks.  
Me, I was there. I was good at Martial Arts in my world. Here, I had learnt to fight out of sheer need. After my parents were killed, me and my brother had had to sneak our way to Uncle Lance's hideout.  
Suddenly, I saw myself, the real me. I saw my strengths, my weaknesses. My soul was laid bare for everyone to see. I saw everything I had ever done that was 'bad', and everything that was 'good'. I saw my place in the scheme of the world, not the universe, just the Pokémon World. I was going to be needed, I didn't know when, I didn't know where, but I had the sense I was going to be needed somewhere and at some time.  
Then, my complete potential was unlocked for the briefest moment. I was, to put in exactly, perfect. I was at complete balance with my self, and able to do anything. Lifting a finger, I could have lifted the world. And as abruptly as it had come, my perfection was gone.  
And as a concluding effort, I could see a mental picture of something crucial, something that had happened, or that was going to happen.

Sam was opening the door to his room in the Pokémon Centre. Before he had any time to do anything else, a pair of arms stretched out and touched him on the temples. The view changed, until I could see Ashlee, her hands glowing, and Sam's eyes, glowing green, the green of Ashlee's powers.  
_Mind wipe.  
_Those two words echoed throughout my head. Mind wipe, that was all.  
And I was then at the exit to the Trials of Romanc Gym. In front of me was one, final rhyme.

_You have triumphed over your own soul,  
__And now you are here at your goal.  
__But will you still have strength to fight,  
__Now you know you aren't completely light?_

_It isn't a foe against whom you've won.  
__It's your heart, the part you've shunned_

I nodded. It was fitting this rhyme. My attention moved downwards, where I saw and empty Gym. Frowning, I flicked out my PokéNav. The time read 6pm, two and a bit hours after I had gone into the Trials. My eyes widened, and I quickly turned back into the Trials, knowing that there was no way that they could affect me again. I was right. Running through the mists, I emerged into the lobby of the Gym. Running out the door, I made a mad dash for the Pokémon Centre, hoping that I wouldn't be too late.

Nick's Point of View)

This was it. The big battle. Beside me stood Sam, who, for some reason, looked confused. It was probably nerves; I bet I looked almost the same. A small bell chimed somewhere away from us, signaling that the battle would start in five minutes. I inhaled slowly, and began to pace. When I looked back at Sam, he had begun to sweat.

"You alright?" I asked him, suddenly worried.

He gulped. "Yeah, when is this battle meant to start? And why do I have to battle? The only notice I got was you telling me that we were gonna fight. What, did you get on someone's bad side again?" He had a straight look on his face. And if I didn't know better, I could have sworn he was being honest.

"Oh, you're funny. We're here becau-."

"Nick? Sam? It's time." Keira's voice called from outside the door. Nodding to Sam, I made my way out. Keira smiled when she saw us. For some reason, we had to get dressed up in weird costumes. Mine had a symbol of the sun on it in yellow. Sam's had the full moon, in a bright blue. The rest of the suit was almost like the kind you'd see in Medieval times. A tunic, with yellow, or blue, in Sam's case, bordering. Simple and effective.  
The hall began to end, and me and Sam walked outside into the fresh air of the Twilight Stadium. It was situated between Romanc City and Rorroh town, the exact same distance apart. There was a tower nearby, since this was also a place of worship. The tower was raised in dedication to Gaios, the legendary Earth Pokémon. These weird little seeds were there, the 'Seeds of Chaos' and the 'Seeds of Life'. If you ever wished to summon Gaios, the legend states, you must 'Plant the seeds where plants and humans meet in harmony.' The type of seed you planted resulted in the temperament of the Gaios you summoned. Planting the Seeds of Life would result in a peaceful Gaios that would heal the planet. The seeds of Chaos would create a war-like Gaios who preferred to wipe the planet of the creatures destroying it.  
Luckily, this stadium was brand new. 'The Battle' used to be held in a small stadium attached to the Tower, until the crowds had proven too big for it to hold. So, they had built this one a few years ago.  
Nodding to Sam again, we walked forward to the middle of the stadium floor. Two others stood there, waiting for us. They were dressed in identical costumes, except that theirs was black.  
When we got close enough, I blinked in surprise. I knew these two. It was Kai and the psychic girl who had helped us escape the Monarch's Tombstone. Sophie, I think the name was. Kai looked coolly back at me, plainly not happy that I was there. We hadn't been on good terms since I had picked him up as a joke and thrown him. Sam had come through the door at that exact moment, and trapped Kai in a Psychic Bubble as an automatic reflex. It had been funny for me, but plainly Kai hadn't been amused.

"_Will the combatants please shake hands._" A voice called out through the speakers. Extending my hand, I shook first Sophie's, then Kai's. Making a quick reference, I remembered that Kai had chosen Hekark, that weird, evil looking bush Pokémon, and Sophie had chosen Senvar, the teddy bear.  
Once the hand shakes were done, we turned around. Making a bee-line for a red column I was meant to stand on, I gave Sam a quick thumbs-up.

"_And welcome to the four-hundredth and sixty-third Battle of the Twilight. As the legend goes, Mew and Missingno met on this very plain, just a little bit away. Since then, to commemorate the battle and large battle have commenced in order to remember these two Legendaries. The two made theirs homes not far from here; Mew lived where Romanc City is now, and in particular, where the Romanc Gym stands. The same can be said for Missingno, except that it lived in Rorroh where the Rorroh Gym stands. The winners of this battle not only earn prestige, but they also earn for the cities that they represent, the right to hold the Chalice of the Ages for one year. This Chalice is said to have the power to look through time, if it is used properly. Luckily, no-one has ever figured out how otherwise I'd have stopped buying lotto tickets a while ago. Now, will the combatants please stand up on the columns?_"

Going up a step, I stepped onto the red column. Sam went onto the blue, Sophie onto the yellow, and Kai onto the green. Sam was now starting to look pale, and I could see funny sparks playing on his skin.  
Suddenly, I could almost feel something burning into my skin. Looking over, I saw Kai delivering the mother of all death glares. Making a face at him, I looked to the centre of the field, keeping an eye on Sam from the corner of my eye.

"_The rules are simple. The first team to hit the other's target with their designated attack THREE times wins. Mew's Chosen will use the attack 'Light Beam'. Missingno's Hallowed will use 'Darkness Stream'. When the light up on the scoreboard goes green, the battle will commence. Additionally, the first team to knock the other's Pokémon out will win._"

Up on the side of the Stadium, three lights appeared on the screen. I looked at them nervously, and hoped I wasn't gonna stuff up. Sophie looked calm and ditzed out, Kai looked determined to beat us and Sam was definitely looking sick. We had had to pick up his Pokémon from the Centre. Keira hadn't been happy, especially since he had blown off the afternoon training. But what was done was done, as she had said.  
A yellow light lit up on the screen, followed by an orange. And then, after an agonizing stop, the red light flashed on.

"_BEGIN!_"


	20. Chapter Eighteen

For those that have already read this chapter, go down to the bottom. it contains some information in reguards to Beginnings of a Master. Don't worry, I'm not killing the story off.

Chapter Eighteen  
Mind Mishaps

_I'm under your spell,  
__God, how can this be?  
__Playing with my memory…  
__You know I've been through hell,_

_Oh why don't you see;  
__There'll be nothing left of me?  
__Wish I could trust  
__That it was just this once,_

_But I must do what I must.  
__I can't adjust,  
__To this disgust.  
__I wish I could…_

_But I just can't stay.  
_

_Under Your Spell / Standing in the Way (Reprise)  
__Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

Sam's Point of View

I seriously was _not_ feeling well. The weird optimism I had enjoyed all day was definitely gone, to be replaced by a sense of dread and sickness. As the buzzer went off, I simply grabbed a Pokéball and threw it, not caring just who I released.  
As it turns out, Diana was released, looking fairly nervous. From the size of the stadium and the crowd, I was feeling the same, just a lot queasier. Beside me, if you count about ten metres away as beside me, Nick had just released Sparx. Suppressing a groan, I had the sudden mental picture of Diana's fur puffed up and her simply rolling as a method of travelling. Giving a chuckle, I shook my head and turned back to the battle. Across the stadium, Sophie and Kai had released their own Pokemon. A Senvar and Torchic were presented as the opponents, instantly sparking the memory that Senvar and Torchic were Sophie's and Kai's first Pokemon.

"Diana! Go for the Torchic with Roll-Out!" I said loudly, hoping she would hear. She heard, and instantly react by taking a few running steps before tucking herself into a ball and heading straight for the Torchic.

"Maggie! Use Fire Spin and surround yourself!" Kai yelled, effectively countering the Roll-Out. Diana wasn't going to get any closer without burning herself. Instead, she redirected herself to go for the Senvar. On the moment of impact, instead of being sent flying, the Senvar gave a cackle as Diana went right through it. Its shape suddenly went hazing, until it reformed as a Ghastly.

_Uh oh._ I said mentally.

Nick wasn't worried. Sending Sparx forward, he ordered the little electrical mouse to use a Thunderbolt attack. It zapped forward, splitting the air and landed a direct hit on the Ghastly. The ghost-type Pokemon wailed in pain, before the attack ended. Sparx panted, his fur smoking as he dealt with the side-effects of the electrical attack.

"Ghastly. Crowd Control." Sophie called. Another '_Uh oh_' went through my head when Ghastly, obeying the command, suddenly released a wave of purple energy. It spread out, covering the field, and as it hit Maggie, Diana and Sparx, sent them to sleep.

The Ghost-light Pokemon was suddenly in its element. Giving another wicked cackle, it floated up into it was high above the field, before sending out two dark beams that hit Sparx and Diana directly. With each pulse of energy, the Ghastly looked stronger and stronger. It had to be Nightmare; an attack that let a Pokemon controls its opponent's dreams, and then feed off of the negative emotions they gave off in their nightmares.  
Another bad sign was that Maggie the Torchic was suddenly awake. Charging forward, she paused at the edge of the field between my tower and Nick's, before opening her mouth and inhaling. A ball of black energy gathered at Maggie's mouth, before shooting forward and hitting a target behind mine and Nick's towers.  
The buzzer sounded again and I looked around in confusion. Looking over at Nick, he looked cranky, but he seemed to be dealing with it.

"_The first point goes towards Rorroh City and its Champions! And now, due to Tournaments rules, Ghastly, Eevee and Pichu must be switched with other Pokemon on their team. Will their Trainers please select their new Pokemon so that we can go on with the battle?_"

Growling in annoyance, I pulled out Diana's Pokéball and returned her. Snapping the Pokéball onto my belt, my hand travelled over my belt, until I stopped on Zeus's Pokéball. Making a split second decision, I grabbed his Pokéball and threw it forward, and as if to leave a memory, a trail of lightning followed the Pokéball from my hand. I gaped at it, before looking down at my arms. Sparks glittered over my freckled skin, leaving no doubt that this was a natural occurrence.  
A new wave of nausea hit me, and I doubled over, clutching my stomach. Sweat came to my forward, but it went unnoticed as the new round began. Nick was using a black Butterfree, one that I hadn't seen before. Gaping at it from under my fringe, I wondered where he had gotten it, before pain clutched my stomach and made its way upwards into my head.  
In the battle, Zeus wasn't going to wait for any help from me. He was blasting and smiting to his hearts delight, ensuring that his opponents, a Holipus and a Jorei were unable to move. As an insult, he had trapped them in cages of lightning, ensuring that they wouldn't move due to their weaknesses to lightning.

Up in the commentator's box, where I couldn't see, Keira stood up and leaned forward. Her opposite, Wyatt, the Gym Leader of Rorroh City Gym, and the trainer of Dark Pokemon, looked at her curiously.

"What's happening to Sam?" Keira asked, pulling her psychic powers to a front and changing her vision with it. Psychic energies were suddenly revealed, spread out in the crowd with the occasional psychic watching the battle. However, a glowing aura surrounded Sam, his own colour of blue mingled with a forest green. The green looked out of place, as if it were simply shoved into his power without a thought.

Recognition surged into Keira's eyes, and before anyone could say otherwise, she was up and heading for the door, nearly pulling Wyatt's arm from his socket.

"Ow! What – where are we going?" Wyatt yelped, stumbling after the girl who had control of his arm.

"No time to explain." Keira said shortly. "Hurry up and run."

Back down on the field, I wasn't doing to well. Pain had fully filled me, and the sparks were getting more and more numerous. They flocked across my skin, leaving small sunspots on my eyes as I tried focusing on them.  
The battle raged on. The Butterfree had already taken care of the Jorei with one psychic beam after another. The Butterfree left Zeus to fare for himself against the Holipus and positioned itself in front of the target behind Sophie and Kai. The beam charged up, a ball of white energy summoned into existence appeared between the Butterfree's antennas. The energy erupted and shot forward, hitting the target directly in the centre, and as it did, all hell broke loose.  
Psychic people and Pokemon are more in tune with the elements of Light and Darkness than most people would guess. I'd later find out what was about to happen was because of the Dark and Light battle happening now, but not until it was too late.

My psychic powers didn't flare out of control; they _ruptured_ my control and spread out sidewards. Nick was the first to feel the effects as he was taken off his feet and sent flying. The force behind it was so powerful he actually went into the crowd stands. By that time, everyone else caught on and simply bolted. A white wave of energy spread out, and as it hit the wall of the stadium, pulled the stone apart and destroyed it. The destruction went on further and further, until my half of the stadium was destroyed and the crowd had evacuated in record time. The first piece of luck happened when my powers didn't spread any further than the boundaries of the stadium. The bad side was that, with nowhere left to go, it went forward.  
The Pokemon had been watching me until then. The Holipus, Zeus and the Butterfree looked dumbstruck, until the Butterfree gave a strange twitch of its head, and as one, Zeus and the Holipus flew over to it. As the wave of energy was about to hit the three, flying Pokemon, a purple ball surrounded the Pokemon as the Butterfree used its own, formidable, psychic powers to protect itself and its fellow Pokemon.  
Sophie and Kai had followed the same plan. Sophie, instead of running, had teleported herself over to Kai and encased the two of them in their own, personal shield.  
Suddenly, my powers stopped. It met with even more psychic energy, and couldn't get passed. The psychic power that flowed through me began to drain out of me, leaving me as weak as a newborn Meowth.  
My powers seemed to have last trick up its sleeve. It withdrew from the wall it had encountered, into a sphere in the centre of the stadium. It stayed like that for roughly three seconds, before it exploded, sending one, final effort to destroy the surrounding area.

_Anyone able to create a shield, do it NOW_." Keira's telepathic voice sounded in my head. Unnoticed to me, the psychics of the crowd reappeared on the remaining rubble, and put up walls to contain the power. The white wave of destruction battled against the new walls for around ten seconds, before giving up and disappearing into nowhere.  
In the meantime, I had collapsed on the only area that hadn't been destroyed, the blue tower. I didn't get roaring darkness this time; I got a howling funnel of impregnable shadows that swallowed me up.

Bursting into Sam's room, Katrina knew it was way too late. A boom filled the air, calling her attention to the window. A white glow was on the horizon, one that promised to not be anything good. Looking at it in, fear, her brow furrowed and she swung around and stomped out of the room.

'_And on the news today, the Chansey Evolution line has just been shifted to a new group! Thanks to the expert breeder, Brock of Pewter City, it has been discovered that the Chansey, Blissey and Healtia line is actually a Four evolution one! A new baby form has just been discovered, called -!_'

My eyes opened. Suspended above the bed I was lying on was a television, one that had just finished covering a report on something or other. I hadn't really been paying attention to it as I struggled my way out of unconsciousness. Thankfully, the light didn't hurt my eyes, which was a welcome change from all the other times I had fallen unconscious lately. Closing my eyes again, I shifted around on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"He's awake."

Brendan's voice murmured softly, somewhere to my right. Not willing to open my eyes, I lifted my hand, and waved in his general direction. Five seconds after that and I withdrew it to my side again. Someone must have filled my bones with lead when I was out.

"Sam? Are you ok?"

Nick's voice this time. Cracking open my eye lid, I looked at him, wondering if my tongue had been filled with lead too. Opening my mouth meant that I wasn't gonna get it closed again, and I really didn't want to become one of those weird, Venus-Fly trap Pokemon that originated in some region I couldn't remember right now.

"Leave him alone guys. Remember what Keira and Nurse Joy said?" Disapproval sounded in Katrina's voice, but I instinctively could tell that it wasn't directed at Nick or Brendan.

"Ah."

"Oh yeah."

"Anyway, all of your Pokemon are fine and dandy Sam, thanks to Insecticide. Insecticide was the black Butterfree Nick was using. Once you get your strength back, we'll explain the whole lot to you." Katrina's voice was about as soft as Brendan's had been. Nick's was the same, apart from slightly quieter than what it normally was.

"We'll be back Sam. Visiting hours are almost over, but we'll be back tomorrow morning." Brendan's voice was the last I heard, before shuffling noises left me to draw my own conclusions. To replace Brendan, Kat and Nick, a doctor bustled in to check on me, who I assumed was notified by my departing friends. He did fairly normal things, I think. The first test was to make my foot move, and then my arm. Opening my eyes proved tricker than it had the first time, but I was totally stumped when he asked me to lift my head.

The sound of a pencil scratching could just be heard over the television. From the sounds of it, an episode of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtles' had just started, and that wasn't good. I had been driven almost insane when my little brother had watched it over, and over, and over, and, uh, repeatedly.  
The fourth test was to see if I could talk. I got a few incoherent sounds out, but nothing that sounded English. More pencil scratching, and then the doctor announced the final test. I had to make something levitate with my powers.  
And that's when it got really weird.  
When I tried to call on my power, I mentally seemed to be groping at thin air. My powers were diminished, faded, or, in other words, gone.

"That's what we thought." The doctor muttered. Clearing his throat, I felt a sudden feeling of dread. "Mr Sapphire, it appears that, from your little show at the Twilight Stadium, you've used up all your powers. We can't tell if this is permanent or not, but more likely, it isn't. If it isn't, your powers should begin to make a return anywhere from four weeks to two months from now. We also can't tell if the draining has had any effect on your powers, and we won't be able to for at least another two weeks. They could have gotten weaker, mutated or even gotten stronger." My feeling of dread loosened slightly. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The shuffling of paper replaced the scratching noise of the pen, and hen the doctor began speaking again. "And to answer any unspoken questions, I have your files. It says you're a Blue Psychic. Chances are that you will remain one, but you could mutate to Orange, Green, or any of the other Psychic types."  
I released a sigh. _That_ at least was in my capabilities.

"But don't worry. You should be able to move around tomorrow, and after that, you may even be able to leave, simply because this is a mental consequence. Physically, you won't feel anything, and all your body needs to do now is rest." That seemed to be the end of it. The doctor went past my bed and to my right. I could hear curtains being drawn, and orange light bathed my eyelids.

"Hmm, Miss Botanis is still out. Put one of the night staff on a supervisory status on her. This sort of thing hasn't happened enough for us to be carele-."  
Botanis. There could only be one person with that last name. Turning my head slowly to the right, I opened my eyes.

And there she was. Ashlee was in a deep sleep beside me, looking as weary as I felt. Now I knew why Katrina hadn't been happier earlier. Ashlee. I knew she had to be at the heart of this. There wasn't going to be any reason good enough for me to be convinced she was here, in the same state as me, that she wasn't somehow involved in this.

"Two visitors? Did you tell them the visiting hours are ov- oh. Let them in. They can probably explain to Mr Sapphire much better than I can." The good Ol' Doc's voice piped up again. "They won't be happy if they discover Ms Botanis here, however, that can't be avoided. We'll just shut the curtains and tell them we were out of room."

I watched the Doctor draw the curtains around Ashlee, blocking her from my sight. After that, the Doctor virtually scuttled from the room as two figures that demanded authority came in. Keira and Wyatt took one look around the room and saw me on my bed. Coming over to me, Wyatt was the first to notice Ashlee's presence as he stopped. Looking at the curtains, he opened them telekinetically and with such little effort it made me envious. The shadows around Ashlee would have made it hard to see, but Wyatt was already onto it. Another mental push sent all the shadows away from Ashlee and a little fact came up in my mind that made me chuckle. Where Keira was Photokinetic; able to control light, Wyatt was Umbrakinetic; which meant he was able to control the shadows. It was fitting, especially since he was the Gym Leader of Dark Types in Rorroh Town.  
Giving a cough, he attracted Keira's attention and jerked his thumb in Ashlee's direction. Keira rolled her eyes, an expression of distaste crossing her face.

"We'll deal with her later. First things first." Keira said, obviously the leader in this situation. Grabbing a seat, Keira pulled it over to my bed, while Wyatt seemed content to stand. Drawing in the shadows around himself, he made himself hard to see. Keira, on the other hand, drew in the light around the room, drawing attention to herself. The two together made an awe-inspiring sight, one seeming to be made of light, the other of shadows.  
I blinked and the world suddenly changed. Instead of a hospital bed, I was standing in the middle of what I knew was a black ball. Not black, as in surrounded by shadows, but black, as in nothing existed.

_It'll will be safer if we talk here. That way we can't be overheard by anyone. We're in your mind Sam, which also means we can talk a lot better and faster than if we were doing it physically._ Keira's telepathic voice sounded in my head. I gave a smirk. I wasn't powerful enough to get this deep into my own mind, or anyone else's, and as such, hadn't been able to 'personalise' my domain. A person's mind was their onw, person space that they had complete control over, but I wasn't strong enough to go this deep into my own mind. Now I was here, I could do pretty much anything.

Raising my hand, I swept it across the darkness. As my arm went by, features suddenly formed in the darkness. A small field, complete with a pond now existed where there was darkness. A small, warm breeze swept across the grass and into the leaves of the one tree that inhabited the field.  
Looking down at myself, I saw I was dressed in a strange, white robe. I changed that to a comfortable pair of white pants, with an intricate pattern of blue winding its way up my legs. A t-shirt followed it, made out a cream-coloured material, and a hood made out of a dusty blue clothe.  
My shoes were beige with blue soles.

Keira's and Wyatt's astral bodies materialised into the field. Keira took a look around and gave a nod of approval. She was wearing a white dress, with white sandals. Her golden hair was held back with a white headband. All in all, she had the complete 'Nice Girl' appearance.  
Wyatt, on the other hand, seemed to be completely at home with his clothes. He was wearing a black trench-coat which was the main article of clothing. He had three quarter, midnight blue, pants. An armless t-shirt of a similar colour and black boots completed the outfit.

Wyatt, on the other hand, scowled slightly at the scene. "Too much light here." He complained.

Rolling my eyes, I waved my hand once more. The mid-afternoon sun changed position instantly, now bathing the meadow in the gold and blues of twilight. Wyatt rolled his own eyes now. "Good enough."

"Anyway." Keira said, glaring at her counterpart. "We're here to talk to you about what happened, answer your questions and stuff."

"First off, you were under a Mind Wipe." Wyatt said quickly, plainly wanting to be the one to tell me. "That's why you were in a strangely happy mood, because you couldn't be depressed by anything recent that's happened to you. It also explains why you didn't know that your Pokemon weren't with Nurse Joy."

"It was Ashlee that did it. We've already gotten permission to go through her mind, but you don't need to know about that. I'm just going to say that, don't blame her for what she did. She didn't know any better." Keira's input made me raise my eyebrow. What did she mean, it wasn't Ashlee's fault? "She had less than good role-models growing up, so that's why."

"Anyway, when Ashlee performed her Mind Wipe, she had no idea what she was doing." Wyatt ambled over to the tree and reached up into the branches. Grabbing onto one, he swung himself up, and made himself comfortable. "So, when she did it, she accidentally connected your minds together. Obviously she didn't mean for it to happen, and as a result, the connection was very fragile."

"What happened during the battle was a result of that connection collapsing. In the final few minutes that you and Ashlee were connected, your powers connected and it had several effects. It broke the dimensional barrier, and hooked into your powers in that dimension, and Ashlee's, which resulted in even more power being put into the shock-waves from the connection's break-down. Normally, that sort of thing couldn't be done, but the dimensional barriers between Romanc and Rorroh are very thin, since a lot of it went into Mew's battle with Missingno. And since you and the you in the other dimension are essentially the same person, your powers banded together in the minute that the dimensions weren't separated. You're a whole lot more powerful in the other dimension than you are here, add to that the power of the Ashlees, and it would have resulted in the destruction of the stadium and the surrounding area if it weren't for us and several other psychics in the area." Keira explained, sitting down on a rock I had conjured in my mind.

It was almost too much to believe. I had to simply sit and think about it, letting it make sense it my mind. My mind conjured up another rock for me, which was lucky, since I simply began to sit. Without the rock, I would have fallen to the ground.

"So, let me get this straight. Together, me and Ashlee breached the dimensional barrier, pretty much combined with ourselves in that dimension, and destroyed the stadium because we got a massive power boost." I said slowly.

Keira nodded. "Exactly. Now, we also came here to give you this." Looking over at Wyatt, she raised her eyebrows in a warning look. Giving a sigh, he jumped down from the tree and walked over to Keira. Reaching down, he held her hand and raised it into the air. Light and Darkness gathered at their hands, forming a stunning ball of shadows and radiant beams.

All at once, a wave of twilight energy spread out and engulfed my small world. As it reached the edges of the field, it vanished into nowhere. Walking forward, Keira and Wyatt both extended their joint hands and then let go. Hovering in front of me was a half-sun, half-moon disc. My eyes widened as I looked at it. Separately, it was the Daylight and the Midnight badges, but together, they formed one of the four badges needed to get into the Diamond League, the Twilight Badge. Reaching up slowly, my hands shaking, my fist closed slowly around the badge and slowly drew it close to me. Looking down at it, then up at the two Gym Leaders, I smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, we've overstayed our welcome, mentally and physically. If you want, you can stay here and think things over, or you can return to your body. If you stay, it'll just look like you're in a very deep sleep." Wyatt offered, looking at me with piercing black eyes.

I looked at him, and then to Keira, and made my decision.

"I'll stay here. I have a lot to think about."

Keira nodded. "As you wish. We'll be back tomorrow to return you to your body. This way, you'll be able to think, while your body rests. And Sam, we awarded you that badge because you've had to face the good parts of life, and the bad. Like I said, Ashlee didn't know any better. She wasn't raised to know better."

And with that, they both faded away, leaving me to wonder at their words. "Not raised to know better?" I asked myself, and then shook my head. Looking at my surroundings, I smiled wistfully. Here, I was as powerful as Mew was. Raising my hand, I watched the sun chased the moon across the sky rapidly, before halting the flow of time and letting the moon rest in the sky. It was full, and cast a peaceful glow across the mental landscape I had created. A gentle, warm breeze brushed my arm as it went past. Sitting there on my rock, I looked up at the moon and smiled. This was as serene as I had felt for about a month. For the moment anyway, I was where I had always belonged. I was home.

Hi guys!

Recently, I got one of the emails I love, letting me know what I've done wrong. Not in style or anything, but the accidental little plot holes and things I've left. I'm here now to answer the questions. These are all from Dragon Master Cohl's post, so you can check that out if you want.

1) If I made a scene seem like Artemis didn't have a head frill, I'm sorry. My memory isn't always the best, so I apologise if it caused confusion.  
2) When I looked up the word Encyclopaedia, I actually had it spelt correctly. I'm an Aussie, and that's the way we spell it in Australia. A little weird, I know, but it's true. So, we can both say we're right and wrong there.  
3) But that's the whole point, every story needs a little random, completely stupid thing for people to poke fun at. Just look at Psyduck, when it's not all powered up.  
4) Another mistake of mine, but I can clear that up. I've yet to discover where it is, but if you can show me, that'd be great. Koga is not Nick's father, Nick's dad is Bruno.  
5) This is a part where I get a bit of leeway. The word 'Ourt' throws a lot of people off, and it makes it a lot clear if I go 'Tini, drat, dra, tini dra. It also helps make it clearer for me  
6) Clouds don't actually fly, I've check that one. They're just light enough to not be restrained to the ground. And a cloud Pokemon being Water / Electricity makes a lot of sense in my mind. Not to mention, it isn't one of my created Pokemon, but Topaz Soarhire's.  
Beginnings of a Master and Wings of Council are set in the same world.  
7) That one never settled right in my stomach. Going from water to Water / Ground seemed a bit stupid, especially since his name is 'Mudkip'. I give you that one though, its just one of the areas I'm a bit picky in.  
8) That was more a reference to the Gameboy games. I have actually found and caught a timid Mewtwo, and it's amused me ever since. There is, though, a Mewthree, which featured in the 'Echotrance Trilogy' of Topaz Soarhire's.  
9) Right before I post a chapter up, I always use spell checker. I'm going to take a guess and say that your spell-checker is set to the United States form, while mine is set to the Australian. They can't simply be the same, can they?  
10) Yes, Jynx. Seems to be a Psychic / Ice type. I can give you more info, but that requires looking it up.  
11) Define Pokemon Amounts? You mean the number of Pokemon in battle, or their Power Points? We'll get back to this one.  
12) Ah, here's a good one. I didn't remember that one, so I will have to be fixing that up. Thanks!  
13) Yeah, I know. It might have been because my cousin Aaron was in the room at the time that I put that name down and didn't notice it. I'll fix that up too. Where is it?  
14) Evolution in this world is a tricky business. In Red Blue and Yellow, you'd be able to encounter Lv 27 Magmars, right? And the Gym Leaders are also able to have Pokemon that seem to have evolved before their due level. While my story does include Pokemon levels, it doesn't rely so heavily on the Pokemon evolving at certain levels. It gives me, and other writers, a lot more free rein and gives the readers the opportunity to read more exciting battles. While I may do some battles like that, I'm obviously never going to put a Dragonite in a First Badge Dragon Gym.  
15) When it comes to the Pillars, several factors come into play. The Pillar you're standing on has a set element, and you need to find a pillar that is weak against your pillar's element. When it comes to the later chapters, you need to have a bit more knowledge, as they rely on the Stats of Pokemon.  
16) Oaseed is meant to be a spinoff of Seedot. It's like a natural defence mechanism, so that Trainers and Pokemon get confused over which is which. I mean, one of them has to taste better than the other, right? And as a matter of fact, Jorei is not a spin-off of any Pokemon at all. Jorei was invented nearly a year before Perrapu came out, so I win there. And yes, Botanasprint is part of the Ponyta family, only having a new elemental type bred into it. It's like Topaz Soarhire's Articolts and Blizzardash.  
17) Yes, this is another mistake I made. For some reason, I thought Steel was weak to Ice. It makes sense though, Ice is able to make the Steel brittle and cause it to snap.  
18) He could off, but Brendan is a stubborn, stupid, Genius. If he thinks he can get it done one way, he'll keep at it until it's done. Even if it means more work for him.  
19) It is spelt 'Traumatised' in the Aussie Dictioary.  
20) I know, Drakeon doesn't have as much of a ring to it, but it was the best I could think of. Heleon I do prefer, but what's wrong with the Holy type? Pokemon like Ho oh, Suicune and Articuno can fit under it, since they were worshipped as gods at one point or another.  
21) You'll notice that Sam thought the idea was stupid as well. And note that it was a _rumour_ that sent Jason to search for Mee.  
22) Yeah, Orre. Big desert region, I didn't like it much.  
23) Heh, this is where I get confused. I constantly mixed up Drogan and Drake. Drogan was originally a Salamence in my very first story, Master of Legends.  
24) Lance is Katrina's Uncle. If I said he was her dad, I'm sorry, but he is most definitely her Uncle on her Dad's side, making Clair of Blackthorn City her aunt as well.  
25) It would be interesting to see, but I'd feel sorry for poor Artemis.  
26) Thanks, I try. My favourite was number 5.  
27) Trainer Games is just another way of seeing if Trainers are up to the challenges set before them. It's an added bonus that they get money at the end.

Thanks a lot for all these Dragon Master Cohl. If you can get back to me about where I made some of the mistakes, that'd be great  
And check out Mewraven's story. It happens several years after Beginnings of a Master, and there is mention of Sam as a pretty hotshot Trainer!

Also, for those who didn't understand this chapter, he's a little recap. When Ashlee grabbed Sam's head and performed the Mind-Wipe, she stuffed up and connected Sam's mind to her own, which also connected their powers. Because a person's power is their own, they didn't combine too well, and began to spark and fight against each other. The massive explosion that destroyed the stadium was a result of Sam's powers clashing with Ashlee's.  
And in the time when Mew battled Missingo, on the same battlefield Sam was at the time, a lot of power went into their attacks, so much power that they couldn't sustain it. They used parts of the Dimension Barriers to fuel their powers, which left the Dimensional Barrier around that place very thin. What Katrina encountered in the Third Trial of Romanc City was a window that let her look into another dimension.  
Now, when Sam's powers and Ashlee's powers battled, they cut through the Dimension Barrier itself for only a few minutes. Those minutes were enough for Sam's power from the 'Better' Dimension, to find the Sam in the 'Badder' dimension. because the two Sams are the same people, their powers combined without meaning to, and continued to fight Ashlee's power. the same thing happened with Ashlee's power as well, they found the Ashlee in the 'Badder' Dimension and fused with her. Once the Psychic Battle ended, the Dimensional Barrier closed again, seperating the Sam's and the Ashlee's powers and knocking Sam and Ashlee unconscious.  
The lack of Sam's powers resulted in too much of his Psychic Powers going into the battle against Ashlee. Most Psychics have 'Backup' reserves of psychic power, but Sam is too weak, so he never bothered to have a backup. It's like a flame that's eaten all of its fuel. You can't get it back for ages, and after a lot of work.  
So, for now, Sam is left powerless in terms of being Psychic. Since Psychic Powers have no effect on the Physical Body, Sam can still do everything the same, it just means no teleporting, no telepathy and no telekinesis.

Thanks for all the reviews, and, until next time, c ya!


	21. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:  
The Healing of Time

_You built it up,  
__To watch it fall.  
__Like I meant nothing at all.  
__I gave and gave,_

_The best of me.  
__But couldn't give you what you need.  
__You walked away,  
__And stole my light;_

_Just to find what you were looking for.  
__But no matter how much I try…_

_I just can't hate you anymore._

_Nick Lachey  
__I Can't Hate You Anymore_

Sam's Point of View

Time drifted by endlessly within my mind. I could have been there for an hour, or for eternity, and I wouldn't know. That was one of the dangers of being able to withdraw into your mind; you could become addicted to being All-Powerful, and simply stay there.  
I simply sat, and thought. Ideas and emotions chased each other through my head, but I couldn't make sense of them. My anger at Ashlee slowly flowed away, leaving a deep, aching feeling of betrayal and disappointment. Ashlee hadn't had the 'Rules of the Psyche' imposed on her as I had, growing up. That much I could tell from Keira and Wyatt.  
After an eon, a gentle pull from my real body made a connection I could follow back to it. It felt like someone was drawing a circle on my hand repeatedly with their finger. Closing my eyes, I said a mental goodbye to my personal world and poured my mind back into my body. In my 'absence', my body had been fully rested. My eyes fluttered open, and I was greeted with the sight of Artemis, Diana and Hera.  
Machinery behind me quietly whirred. My line of sight improved as my head was elevated by the bed rising. Rising back to a standing position, Brendan gave me a nod. He, Kat and Nick were lined up, between me and where Ashlee's bed. Lazily, I turned my attention back to the Pokemon, raising my hand and scratching Diana behind the ear.

"Hey." I said quietly, breaking the gentle silence that filled the room. Diana leaned into my hand; a purr of enjoyment came from her, her contentment obvious.

Looking up at the three humans, the corner of my mouth lifted slightly. In the spaces between them, I could see that Ashlee's curtain was drawn, but I knew my friends were stopping any attempts she might make to talk to me.

"Got you guys that worried, huh?"

Brendan smiled and shook his head. Katrina rolled her eyes and Nick winked at me. "Good to see you in one piece Sam. The last time we saw you awake, you looked like you mightn't make it." Nick said, lifting his hands into a shrug.

"Nah. Me? Get killed just by tearing a hole into another dimension? Sorry, it's not gonna happen." Looking down at my Pokemon, I blinked, slightly confused. "Where are Zeus and Helios?"

"They're back at the Centre. The equipment here isn't specially built to withstand the electricity given off by Electric Types." Brendan said, putting his hands behind his back. "You're allowed to leave now, if you want. We were just told by Keira to be here at this time, and all we had to do was touch you to wake you up. You were under Mental Stasis, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it gave me time to think. Give me a few minutes, I need to get changed and everything." As Brendan and Kat opened their mouths to protest, I cut them off. "I'm fine; it's a psychic problem, not a physical one." I said gently. Flinging the covers off, I shivered as the cold air hit my warm body. I was wearing the pyjamas given by the hospital, and the thin material wasn't much protection against the temperature.

Putting my feet on the floor, I slowly stood up, added insurance so I wouldn't fall. Once I was comfortably balanced on my feet, I looked at the three. "See? I'm fine."

Looking worried, but caving in first, Katrina wandered out to the door. Brendan soon followed, while Nick was a little more hesitant. Looking at him, I clicked my tongue, bounced on the balls of my feet, before saying, "I can't exactly get dressed with you watching. Be kinda uncomfortable, wouldn't it?"

He jumped at that point, walking towards the door. Looking at Artemis, Diana and Hera, I nodded towards the door as well. They followed in the footsteps of Nick, straggling out the door in a sort of demented conga line.  
Looking at the door, I willed it to shut. After a minute of wondering why it wasn't working, I remembered. Walking over to it, I shut it quietly, and pull the curtains around my bed.  
Getting changed as fast as I could, I placed a hand on the curtains once more, and then pushed my way through the opening. Walking the few, short steps over to Ashlee's curtains; I made my way through and stood quietly at the end of her bed. She was lying on her side, staring out the window. It was only a few seconds, before she let me know she knew I was standing there.

"Come to say how much you hate me, huh?" Her voice had a huge vein of sadness to it, one that just made the disappointment in my stomach bubble all the more.

"No." I said, looking down at her. "I don't hate you Ashlee. I heard a reason as to why you did it, and even if I can't understand why you did it, I'm going to forgive you. I'm not going to press charges either, under one condition."

Silence followed my remark. Taking that as a sign she wanted me to continue, I pressed on. "I just want you to stay away for a little, so I can clear my head. Give me a little more time to recover; I can't do it in one night."  
Looking up at me, her face softened. This was hurting her, and I could tell. I didn't even need to be psychic to tell it was tearing up her heart. Then, with one movement, she nodded and turned back to the window, looking out of it.  
A goodbye wasn't going to mean anything here, so I simply took my leave and exited the room, getting caught in a mob of Pokemon and humans alike.  
Unknown to me though, was the tear that went down Ashlee's cheek as I left, the one she had tried so hard to hide.

"_Sam, I'm so sorry._"

Outside of the Hospital

Looking up, I was reunited with Zeus as he shrouded me in his body; a tickling sensation making goosebumps ripple across my skin, the rain being kept in Zeus also covered me in a thin layer of moisture. Smiling, I simply shook my head and patted Helios on the head. He was his usual, stoic, unmoved self, but I thought I saw his tail just slightly quiver when he saw me.  
Virtually all of Kat's, Brendan's and Nick's Pokemon, minus Sparx, had been in the hospital, and we had already exchanged greetings. Smiling, I wondered how I had gotten such great friends, even though I hadn't been the best, or even a good, friend to them. Now was going to be the time to turn the tables, so, in a way, I had Ashlee to thank for it.

Giving them a smile, I looked up at the humans. "So, how about we go shopping, I'm in the mood for travel."

Brendan let out a small chuckle, and I got a thumb up from Nick. Giving them a humorous wink, I felt around on my belt for my Pokéballs, patting myself down when I realised that they weren't there. Giving a small cough, Katrina held out her closed hand. Putting my own beneath hers, she dropped my Pokéballs into my hand. Giving her a nod of thanks, I let most of my Pokemon return to their Pokéballs, except for Hera and Artemis. Jumping up, Artemis settled himself on my shoulder, bracing himself in my hood while Hera fluttered to my shoulder.  
Now ready, I motioned for Brendan to lead the way. He looked around for a moment, regaining his bearings before settling on one, distinct direction. We fell into line, let him lead us to the place. After the time in my mind, quiet, serene, peaceful, the hustle and bustle of the normal city life seemed a lot more interesting than usual.  
This interest continued into the shopping centre. Letting the others pick out what we needed, I simply looked around. However, I stopped dead once I found several people kept looking my way, then scuttling in the opposite direction.

"That's good." Brendan said cheerfully; when I pointed it out to him. "Usually a job and a half to get elbow room around here, not to mention, we can get rid of the crowds around the good stuff." Giving me a wink, he reached over, grabbing some food from the shelf. "They did a nice little report on the news, about you, by the way. Nothing while you were in hospital, just what had gone on in the events leading up to the explosion. Your mother tried to call you several times, but we got Nick to clear that up."

Turning, I gave Nick a grin, nodding my head in thanks. It hadn't occurred to me that the news would get a hold of the story.  
But, as good as the space was, and we got bypassed a line at a checkout as well, it was a relief to be outside and away from the prying eyes of others. Looking glumly down, I played with the packet I had been allowed to carry; it seemed I was too frail to carry anything heavier, by Nick's assessment anyway. It was a new TWT, mine had vanished in the explosion, but I wasn't going to be allowed to wear it for ages, not until my powers were back to normal. Stepping outside, I blinked in the suddenly bright light of the sun. From where he had been snoozing near the wall, Artemis came dashing up, looking far too energetic for just having been asleep.

"_So, we're good to go?"_

Giving a smile, I nodded. "We're good to go Arti." Laughing as Artemis made a face, I leaned over so he could jump up on my shoulder. "Come on guys, the road is calling my name."

Snorting, Katrina rolled her eyes. "Doubt it, that rumbling is probably Nick's stomach."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy! I've got to eat."

Shaking my head again, in amusement, I raised an eyebrow and turned to Nick. "Tell you what, let's head to the nearest restaurant, my treat. That'll give us time to pack our bags again, and plan our next move."

"Awesome, I am so ordering the lobster."

"Thanks Nick."

Route 276, 3:53pm

"We're on the road again. I can't wait to be on the road again."

"Brendan, I know I've turned over a new leaf, kind, gentle, flowers bloom where my foot was,, whatever, but I can promise you; sing another verse of that song and you will flying to Topery City, first class on the tip of my shoe." It was kind of weird. At about this point in time, something around me would happen, a small wind would pick up, Artemis would levitate a few centimetres, I dunno, but something would happen. Something inside me wanted to lash out, but it was only left to come out in words.

Holding up his hands in surrender. Brendan slowed his walk, dropping back to talk with the more sympathetic Katrina. Giving a snort of laughter to my left, Nick shook his head. Looking over his shoulder, he called back, "You owe me Kat, you said after four, you've got six minutes left."

"Left on what? What does she owe you?" Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Nick, then turning to look at Kat, walking backwards as I did. "What do you owe him?"

Trying to hide a grin, Kat had the decency to look embarrassed. Giving a small laugh that quickly turned into a cough, Kat cleared her throat. "I had a bet with Nick that you'd threaten someone after four o'clock. He thought by four o'clock."

"Uh huh." Looking back and forth between the two guilty parts, I crossed my arms. "And what did you bet exactly?"

Next to Katrina, it was Brendan's turn to laugh. "Well, you see, Nick wouldn't accept twenty dollars, five Ultraballs or even Katrina's firstborn child. He upped the stakes, to Katrina's entire coffee stash for the trip."

Looking back at Nick, I frowned, confused. "But you don't like coffee."

Raising his hand, it was Brendan's turn to look sheepish. "That's where I come in. In exchange for annoying you until you blow, I get all the coffee, while Nick gets the satisfaction of Katrina not having coffee for one whole month."

"You know, if Koga hadn't forbidden me to use martial arts unless there was dire need, I would so give you two a roundhouse kick to the head."

"Quiet Chuck Norris, if you want to be caffeinated for the rest of the journey, you'll start being nice to me."

Rolling my eyes, I turned back around. Topery City was the next stop, which played the host for the Grass Gym that was the rival for the one in Celadon City. Ivy and Erika were both two contenders for the Grass Master of the world, a role currently held by Erika. Last year, Ivy had held it, and the year before that, with Erika holding it for four years before that.  
Giving a sigh, I thought closer to where we were now. The Lake of Tears had covered Route 271, but Route 272 was the detour around the Lake. However, on Route 277, there was no detour. The Suicune Sea was one of the few pure-water inland seas in the world, but it was also the barrier stopping us from going on in our journey. Going around the stupid thing would add one week to our journey, but Artemis, Nymbis, Drake, Drogan, none of them could carry us all across.  
And there was no ferry service either, something about the league wanting Trainers to overcome the physical barriers to overcome their mental ones.  
Or, in other words, they didn't want to pay to keep the ferry running.

"So, I'm telling you, that cloud is a Nimbus, that one is-."

"Guys, how did you get from coffee to clouds?" Turning around, I looked at the three of them quizzically. Even for them, this was a bit random.

Giving a shrug, Nick looked back at me. "Dunno, can't remember. But hey, you know that over seventy percent of all people, in their final exam for Science or something, they spell the cloud type 'Nimbus', the same as the Pokemon, 'Nymbis'?"  
Giving a groan, I buried my face in my hands. This was going to be one long trip. Lucky for me, Artemis was in his Pokéball, so I wouldn't have to put up with any more than I had to.

International Pokemon League Headquarters, Metone Region

Leaning against the wall, Wyatt listened to the briefing in progress. He and Keira had gotten an express-ticket, but that wasn't what was important right now. He and Keira, as well as two other Gym Leaders of Dictioy; Raiden, the Water Trainer of Hitroy City and the head of the monk, and incidentally, the Gym Leader of the final Gym in Dictioy, the serious Gym Leaders, had been called to an emergency session of the International League Governing Board, as well as several other Gym Leaders from around the world, to hear about the latest crisis.

Standing up, Ash Ketchum made an interesting sight. For a man who had taken a hold of the International Championship twenty years ago, he still looked remarkably young, as if defying the aging process. But, as he cleared his throat, the deeper voice of a man sounded out. "Quiet everyone." As silence reigned supreme in the hall, he nodded. "We've called an emergency session in order to combat a coming threat to the population of the world. Many people here would be familiar with the gaming line; AE Games. It has recently come through the intelligence line of the International Government that this brand is only a cover for Team Rocket. As you all know, Team Rocket has been disbanded around the world, other than the Dictioy Region, with rumours of a branch coming up in Johto. What we discovered is shocking, not only to myself, but Professors and Champions the world over. Professor Oak, if you would."

Standing up, the aged man carried himself with an air of superiority. "What Ash has just said is only a foreshadowing. The intelligence we gathered is about the newest online gaming sensation, which was produced by AE Games. Three weeks after the initial release of the game, which, as of now, was eighteen days ago, a remote signal would be sent out to all games, to hoodwink the gamer and place them under the thrall of Team Rocket."

Standing up at the back of the room, Keira looked directly at the Professor. "If I may, how do they intend to do this? As far as I know, games can only be played by using a medium that acts to change the game into a visual experience."

Nodding his head, Oak waited for Keira to finish. "This game has caused such a sensation because it creates an online, holographic world for the players to play in. It does this by using special helmets that emulate the sight, touch, even smell, of things. At the stroke of midnight, three days from now, children and adults playing this game will be brainwashed."

"So, how are we going to stop it?" Misty Ketchum, wife of Ash, was sitting amongst a small group separate from the Gym Leaders. The group, consisting of seventeen individuals, were the Type Masters, each person in it being the most knowledgeable and powerful person in a particular type.

"This game takes control by tapping into the human mind. As many of you know, a Telepathic Wave Translator acts to enhance an individual's psychic powers. This game uses a method similar, but, instead of improving a person's powers, the more people tapping into it, the more power it receives. A common fact about psychism is that every individual has psychic powers, even if the majority of people are too weak to use it effectively. Sabrina, our resident psychic, has confirmed that, should the current estimate of people playing the game, some 3 million people, be used to create a psychic collective, it would out power all but the higher members of the Wings of Council, the Creation Trinity of Pokenese myth, and Mewtwo. This weapon could potentially destroy the world, but it will most likely be used to create an army of mindless drones." Nodding her head, Sabrina of Saffron City, Psychic Master of the world, confirmed what Professor Oak was saying.

"Because we only have three days, we have no choice but to act immediately. We cannot make people stop playing the game, unfortunately, nor shut the service down without evidence. We plan to destroy the game from the inside out. Our plan was to send in people wearing a Psy-Neut so that they could resist the effects of the game, but the game shuts down at this. The Psy-Neut's waves mingle with the computer's, crashing the server, and we do not have the time to create a computer that could resist the waves. As Gym Leaders from around the world, we called you here to give you this one instruction; those of you that are psychic, we need you to find the impossible; one person in this world who does not have any psychic powers to speak of."

In the back of the crowd, Keira's and Wyatt's eyes widened. Turning to look at Wyatt, Keira received a nod. Standing up, her chin high, she called out, across the assembly, "We know one person who fits that criteria exactly, Professor. His powers were recently destroyed by an accident, out on the Twilight Plains. He is, to say the least, the weakest person on the planet when it comes to psychic defence."

Up on stage, Ash smiled. "Perfect."


	22. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty  
Going Solo

_Winning the game's the only rule allowed.  
No more "good luck", or cheers from the crowd.  
When the game began you never thought you'd lose,  
__But your time is up I play to bruise_

_  
Look around and find you've lost your team,  
__You did your best but you ran out of steam  
__I play rough,  
__I don't need to try,_

_You like to play mean,  
__But the score never lies  
__Game over.  
__Game over._

_Game over…For now_

_ Alexa Vega  
__ Spy Kids 3: Game Over_

Route 276  
Sam's Point of View)

We had stopped to camp last night on one of the plains that seemed to litter Dictioy. We had kept walking until just about half-an-hour before sundown. It felt weird setting up the camp, almost too normal, but I guess splitting the Dimensional Barrier wasn't exactly normal by anyone's standards. We had had an uneventful night; the biggest excitement was Zeus and Dirden having an argument. In the end, I think it was Zeus that won, but that was just judging by the fried look of Dirden afterwards.  
Waking up, I stared up at the morning sky. I had opted to sleep outside of my tent, just because I felt like it. The sky was a rose colour, which, from my guess, meant it was about six-thirty or so. Zeus had spent the night in one of the tent; we had discovered the hard way that he tended to float away while asleep, so he decided to stay safe. The only Pokemon actually outside was Electra, the Coperagon, who was lazily scratching her stomach with a soft squeaking noise, somehow remaining asleep. Folding my arms behind my head, I stared up at the sky, just enjoying the quietness and tranquillity this time of the day had. The Jorei were starting to wake up, a few whistled songs coming from a wood some distance away, carrying across the flat plain. There was also a dull 'whump-whump-whump' that could only belong to a helicopter.  
Helicopter?  
Sitting upright, I looked behind me, in the direction of the road we had to take to get to Topery City. There it was, a helicopter flying fairly low. It wasn't damaged; I could tell that much, so there was really no reason it had to fly that low.  
Getting up quickly, a nervous feeling in my stomach, I put my fingers in my mouth, blowing hard. A half whistle, half air blowing sound came out, showing I hadn't done it right. Quickly changing hands, hoping I'd have more luck with my left, I let out a splitting whistle that put Electra's steel-scratching squeals to shame.

Groans came from the tents around me, as the three inhabitants woke up. The Pokemon, having sharper hearing and sleeping more lightly than their Trainers were already beginning to evacuate the tents. Artemis stopped beside me, as uneasy as I was, while Zeus floated next to my shoulder on the other side.  
A distance away from the camp, the helicopter stopped, just above the ground, before settling down and landing. Brendan appeared in my peripheral vision, frowning at the helicopter.  
Two figures had gotten out of the helicopter, regaining their bearings. Once they saw the camp, they set off at a dash, heading straight for us.

"Zeus, can you spread your body out a little? Make yourself invisible to us. Just in case." I yelled to the cloud type over the steady beat of the helicopter's blades. Zeus gave his whole body a shake, and as I watched, he spread out. The air became a little heavier and moister, but, for all purposes, the cloud type had disappeared.  
Squinting my eyes, I tried to make out who was coming towards us, while, at the same time, wondering why a helicopter would be here. The two figures were strangely familiar, but it was Katrina who recognised one of them.

"That's Wyatt, the guy in charge of the Rorroh Town Gym. I'm not sure, but the other one, call me crazy, but I think that might be Steven, the Pokemon Champion of Janera, the region just south of here."

Looking hard, I could see Wyatt, but Steven I couldn't recognise too well. All I had ever seen of him was a puny icon in my Pokemon Sapphire game, which, I can say, looks nothing like him.  
Finally entering the camp, I frowned and looked at the two men. Wyatt's eyes were on me, while Steven's were jumping between me, Nick and Brendan.

"Sam, I know we're not giving you much time to recover, but we need your help." Yelling over the helicopter, Wyatt struggled to be heard. Next to him, Steven looked towards me, following Wyatt's gaze.

"We can't explain it right here, but we do need your help. If you can recall your Pokemon, we need to leave now. We'll send people along to pack everything up for you." Steven said, motioning for us to follow him. Giving him a strange look, I looked back at Wyatt. Humans and Pokemon alike in the camp became instantly restless, wondering what was going on.

Almost as if reading my mind, which, I realised, he probably was, Wyatt yelled, "You can bring everyone with you, but Sam, we honestly need to go now and explain it to you later. This is a case of international security."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag, which was lying next to my sleeping bag. My Trainer's Belt was on top of it, for easy access. Grabbing my Pokéballs, I recalled Artemis, Zeus, Hera, Helios and Diana, before stashing the Pokéballs back on my belt. In all my dreams of being called forward to help a government, I had never dreamt it would happen with me in my pyjamas.  
The helicopter did fit us all, barely. The take-off was felt as my stomach dropped out from under itself, but, seeing as I had managed to score the front seat, I wasn't minding too badly. What was our campsite quickly turned into three, tanned dots and a tiny blue slither as the ground dropped away, as we sped off, back in the direction of Romanc City. As the city came whelming up, I expected to be set down there, but confusion washed over me as we passed over it. Pulling out my PokéNav, I looked at my map. If we continued in this direction, we'd reach Hitroy City.  
Three hours passed, according to my PokéNav, but Hitroy came and went. I had given up trying to figure out where we were going. We had began going over the ocean about ten minutes ago. Just ahead, I could see a few islands, sticking out of the sea like a giant hand trying to claw its way out. It wasn't until the final minutes of the trip that I realised where we were going, when the place itself loomed up in front of us.  
The Diamond League Headquarters and, most notably, the Diamond Elite Palace.

Looking down onto a large helipad, I could see several figures standing down there. Behind me, Nick let out a noise. Turning around to look at him, confused, he pointed down. Looking down again, straining to see, I dead weight fell in my stomach as I recognised three of the figures there. Chris Reeves, the current Dictioy Champion was there, and so was Sabrina, the Psychic Master Trainer, but the third one I had to rub my eyes to believe; Ash Ketchum, in the flesh. It took me a few minutes to get pass that little fact, that Ash, the guy I had been watching in cartoon form, and the International Champion for a good part of my life, was waiting for someone. My guess was that it was Kat or Nick; Ash was known for hanging around the Kanto Elite Castle, but I had no idea why.  
The questions I was asking myself actually took up more time than I thought. Within what seemed like a few seconds, we were  
landing. It was what awaited me once we landed that really shook me.

_PokeTrainer Online is the revolutionary new virtual reality game to rock the world. Within the world of the PokeTrainers, the players are capable of catching, training, and even battling, virtually created Pokemon. Advancing on the same technology that created Porygon, Porygon2 and Porygon Z, the creators of PokeTrainer Online have created an entire virtual world for the players to become a part of. With special headgear and specialised body equipment, players can actually become part of the action and become trainers, without leaving the comfort of their homes. With over 15 million players world-wide, this game has broken many rec-'_

Giving a snort, I read the back of the game. "Basically this is the sort of thing designed for kids too young to go on a journey, people unable to afford a Trainer License, people who hate exercise or plain lazy people to play. Though, from the looks of it," I quickly scanned the back of the box again." That's a lot of people."

Nodding his head, Ash put a wistful look on his face. "Yeah, it's a bit like that. However, what we've just gone over is true. Team Rocket has really outdone itself this time. But this is why we need your help. From what Wyatt and Keira have told us, you and Ashlee Botanis are the only two people in the entire world without any psychic powers. This leaves you vulnerable to psychic attack, but this game relies your mind extending a willing psychic link into it in order to control you. Since you don't have the powers to extend, the game can't control you."

Raising an eyebrow, I tried figuring this out in my head. "Ok, so, you're saying I'm the only person in the world, other than Ashlee, capable of taking out Team Rocket right now?"

Giving a nod, Ash made it clear that there were no other alternatives. "I know it sounds like something straight out of Pokemon Gold, or something, but what happened to you has almost specially tailored you for this. We do have operatives within the game, and should you accept this, they will be giving you some of the best digital Pokemon that you can get."

Giving a sigh, I looked down. "How long do I have to stop Team Rocket?"

"No pressure, but just over a day. They will send out the signal tomorrow at midnight, Dictian Time."

"Yeah, no pressure." Looking back at the group, I studied their faces to see what they thought I should do. Katrina's and Brendan's faces were carefully blank, betraying no emotion. Nick was showing signs of polite interest, but that didn't really help me at all. Obviously, they thought that I should make this decision on my own.

Turning back to Ash, I swallowed, before nodding. "I'll do it."

Gripping the side of the chair, I looked around the room. A helmet was on the desk next to the monitor of the computer, which had '_PokeTrainer Online_' displayed on it. One click and I'd enter the holographic world.

"Ok, remember, one of our first contacts for you will be called Mikey, he should stand out; he'll have a Shiny Eevee. In order to let him know who you are, just ask him if his three brothers have Eeveelutions as well. That should get his attention. From there, he'll lead you to our head operative within the game; if you've watched the TV show, you'll know who he is." Giving a small smile, Ash gripped my shoulder. "Ok, time to enter the game."

Taking a deep breath in, I reached out and picked up the helmet, holding it above my head. Slowly, I lowered it down, and as my vision was swamped in black, I heard a beeping, and light sprang up in front of my eyes.

"Ok, Sam, we've reconfigured the system." A voice sounded in my ear; one of the scientists. "If you'll stand up, you'll find you only need to move like normal, walking around, that lot, you'll do it within the game. We've rigged up a treadmill and things like that, so you won't hit any walls. We do have a view of things from your point of view on our monitors up here, as well as a small, private room where your friends, Pokemon and Ash are located. They'll be able to give you help and advice, so don't think you're just hearing voices. Now, if you're ready, we'll start you up. We've already made a character for you, engineered to look and sound nothing like you, so you won't be traced after this. Are you ready?"

Clearing my suddenly dry throat, I stood up. From behind me, someone moved the chair. Standing stock still, I nodded. "Ready."

And with that one word, the white light got brighter. Squinting, I blocked it out when it snapped into several colours. Opening my eyes fully, I blinked in amazement. It looked entirely real, this world. Shaking my head, I turned, seeing an open square; filled with people walking around. Taking a step forward, I nodded in further astonishment when I went forward in the game.

"**Hey Sam, it's Nick here. How's it going in there mate?**" I jumped, and actually did it in the game.

"Yeah, I'm good Nick. How's the view from your place?"

"**We have comfy seats, snacks, we've got it good. We've let out Artemis, Diana, Zeus, Helios and Hera. They're watching you now. Now, Sam, you need to find Mikey. Ash says he should be around there somewhere, just keep looking.**"

"Will do." I replied. Taking further steps forward, I waited until I was used to the game's effect on my movements, before I set off. Looking around, I waved to a few people, just taking a simple look around. Walking around the corner of a holographic house, I reached out and tried touching it. My hand kept going in real life, but it stopped in the game. "Ok, that's gonna take a little getting used to."

Looking around the corner, I was met with the sight of a brown, bushy tail whipping out of sight around a trashcan. Feeling a sense of Déjà vu, I left the Eevee to its own devices, skipping the alley and continuing along a street.  
A cheering sound caught my ears. 'Looking' in the direction it was coming from, I saw a huge crowd of the animated people, gathering in a circle around something. From my guess, it'd be a battle of some kind.

"**Diana saw that Eevee in the alleyway. We had to explain that it was all fake, but she felt sympathy for it. A LOT of sympathy.**"

"Yeah, I thought she would. Hey Diana, hang in there, ok? Just remember, this is definitely all fake." I replied quietly. When I attracted no attention, I nodded and smirked. Talking to yourself here was accepted, it seemed.

"**Oh, Sam! They forgot to let you know, you have a Pokemon with you. When they made your character, they had to choose a starter for you. Just letting you know, you should have a Giblet on you.**"

"Thanks guys." I said sarcastically. Reaching the crowd and breaking through it, I wound up on the front row. A boy and a girl were fighting; their Pokemon hit each other with an impossible amount of force. The girl was using a Skitty, while the boy had a shiny Eevee.

"**Sam, that's Mikey. Wait until the battle is over, but you need to talk to him.**"

Giving a laugh, I shook my head. "Thanks, I kinda got that."

The Eevee used a Pound Attack on the Skitty, who, in return, used a Tail Whip. Watching the two Pokemon trade attacks, I felt like I was watching a tennis match. It came to a conclusion when the Eevee opened its mouth and let loose a gigantic, golden beam which enveloped the Skitty. When the bema had passed, I watched as the Skitty turned red and returned to its Pokéball.

'_Pokemon Trainer Mikey has triumphed over Lass Vikki, using an Eevee. Pokemon Trainer Mikey has won one thousand, two hundred and thirteen Pokedollars for winning.'_ A voice called out of the sky. Looking up, I frowned.

"**That's the Game Judge. He decides all the rules and things, and is capable of disqualifying a trainer if they don't follow the rules."** The scientist's voice called over the speaker again. "**He's one of the things that Team Rocket actually did right; they are so confident they'll win that they made the Judge absolutely fair, not even their own minions can escape his decisions**."

Giving a nod, I looked around. The crowd was dispersing, but Mikey was currently scratching his Eevee behind the ear. Walking up the guy, I nodded to him. "So, do your brothers use Eeveelutions as well?"

Looking up at me through simulated brown hair, Mikey grinned. "Yeah, they do. If you're interested, I can get you can Eevee as well. What do you think?"

"**Ok, now say that, while you like Eevees, Growlithes are what you really like.**"

"I like Eevees, they're cute, but my favourites would have to be Growlithes." I responded. Giving me a wink, Mikey stood up, returning his Eevee.

"Ok, I think I can help you with that. Follow me." Mikey said, beckoning me to follow him with his finger. Nodding, I began walking after him. We walked in silence for a few minutes, until I heard a beeping noise, and I saw a little envelope flashing at the corner of my eye.

"**Hey Sam, you just got a message from Mikey.**" Kat's voice was the one to come through. "**It says 'So, you're the guy? Unless you give the password, I'm not going to be taking you to the Secret Base of Organisation Thirteen.' Ash says the password is 'Sparky'. We're sending the message for you, since you obviously can't, so you're safe. Ash also wanted you to know that Organisations are like, small guilds of Pokemon Trainers, usually friends, who can be called upon to help you when you need it. They also get Secret Bases, so that's where you're going. You're the thirteenth member, so now they're all ready for the plan to go ahead.**"

"Oh, great." I muttered. "Now I feel like some 'Chosen One' or something." Out of nowhere, a huge box covered my vision, giving a yelp, I stopped in place. Out of nowhere, a mouse pointer went across my vision and hovered over the 'Yes' option.

'_Pokemon Trainer Mikey has invited you to join Organisation Thirteen. Would you like to join?_"

The mouse clicked down, accepting the invite. When I got my vision back, I discovered that I was suddenly in the large room, filled with scientific equipment, including a healing machine, books on Pokemon, as well as a few lounges.

"Ok, this is the Secret Base." Mikey said, appearing next to me. He had materialised in, looking unphased about the fact he had just teleported or something. "This is a specially crafted one, and no Rocket Scientist will be able to get in; we're in the computer server within the Elite Palace in Dictioy. So, you're Jamie, right?"

I looked blankly at him, and was about to correct him, when Ash's voice cut me off. "**Jamie is the name we created for you. James Reeves, so just say yes. We don't want anyone knowing who you really are, other than me, the Elite Four, Wyatt, Keira, your friends and the scientists in charge of this project.**"

Giving a nod, I smiled. "Yeah, I'm Jamie. And you're Mikey, right?"

"Yeah. I've sent a message out to the rest of the Organisation, so they'll be here in a second. Your Giblet might be very good for a low level trainer, but we really need to give you some of the strongest Pokemon you can get; you aren't going against a Magikarp that much is for sure."

Looking down at the Pokéball on my belt, I grinned. "Yeah, I know. What Pokemon were we thinking of giving me."

"It's really up to you. We have been planning this for a while, and so, we've gotten tons of different Pokemon, since we had no idea what your style would be like. We have normal Pokemon, Legendaries, you name it, we have it or we can get it. They'll be EV Trained as well, which is an added bonus. Apart from that, we're easy." Mikey said, shrugging his shoulders.

"**Dragonite!**"

"**Zapdos!**"

"**Typhlosion!**"

"**Pikachu!**"

"**Me! I mean, wait, what am I?**"

"**You're a Mudkip. You evolve into Swampert eventually." **That was Ash explaining things to Artemis. Giving a chuckle, I shook my head.

"**Yeah, get one of me!**"

"Artemis, honestly, I can only deal with one of you at a time." I said. I had the inkling that I'd have been hit with water if I had been in the room at that point.  
Bright lights caught my attention; turning my head, I saw eleven portals of light opening up in the ground. Within a few seconds, all of Organisation Thirteen had gathered. Looking around at the mix of men and women, I suddenly felt very young and very unexperienced.

"No time to waste." Stepping forward, a man with red hair gave me a grin. "Hi, I'm Richie."

"I'm S- uh, Jamie."

"Nice to meet you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to our little lab in the game." Turning on his heels, Richie took off in the direction of a door. It slid open as he went towards it; obviously an automatic one. Going through the archway, I blinked in surprise at the sheer multitude of Pokéballs this room contained. Giving a whistle, I joined Richie at a small computer terminal, which showed the picture of several Pokemon.

"Ok Jamie, just choose any six Pokemon. They will all be trained perfectly; they just need to be commanded skilfully."

"Um, alright. Going through my head, I gritted my teeth as I tried to think of a good team. "Swampert, Raichu, Frezent, Infernape, Leafeon and Articuno." The last one had been self-indulgence, it was my favourite Pokemon, and there was no chance I'd give up the chance to have it, even if it was in a game.

"Ok, one Pokemon team, coming right up." Richie said, tapping some keys on the virtual keyboard, something I actually found amusing, which caused a bright light to shine around my waist, adding five more Pokéballs to my belt.

"Ok, now, let's get you loaded up on items and things." Richie muttered, tapping away again on the keyboard. In response, I could see several messages popping up on my screen: 'PkmnTrainer Richie has given you 99 Revives!' 'PkmnTrainer Richie has given you 99 Max Potions!' following on that line, I could see that the Organisation wasn't leaving anything to chance.  
As he was typing, and even though I couldn't see him behind the pop-up boxes, which someone was currently clicking away at with their mouse, Richie began speaking again.

"We've figured that the signal will be coming from a huge statue within Absol Park, the place you should have been in before. It's the most populated area in the game, which means that it will be able to get tons of people under the thrall of the signal right away. It also means that you will need to find a secret way in there, or get your Tyranitar to completely demolish it. I'd recommend option one, since number two will definitely be noticed." My vision suddenly cleared, showing Richie was facing me. "But, as of now, it's all up to you. The Organisation will be leaving the game in two hours, after which, you will be granted unrestricted access to the Base and all the Pokemon in it."

"**Oh yeah, party at Sam's Base!**"

"**Nick, shut up.**"

"**Yes ma'am.**"

"But, until then, we'll be training you, getting you used to battling in here. If you'll go back out to Mikey, he'll show you our little battle simulator."

Giving him a mocking salute, I turned on my heel, going back in the direction of the main room. Spotting Mikey, I wandered up to him. "Battle Sim, you know; the fun stuff."

Giving a chuckle, Mikey rolled his eyes in sympathetic disgust. "Yeah, I know the feeling. But, as long as it gets you prepped, it'll help. But hey, I bet you two PokeDollars I whup you on your first battle."

"You're on."

"**Haha, Sam's going to wipe the floor with Mikey!**" Brendan crowed. Smiling; glad to know my friend supported my abilities, I followed Mikey, not looking forward to battling a Simulation at all.


	23. Chapter TwentyOne

Chapter Twenty-One

Set Them Free

_You making moves,   
You're gonna lose.  
You know you played yourself,  
And now you thinking, thinking;  
_

_You can get one by me,   
But you'll never win,  
But you'll never win.  
Try again,  
_

_'Cause the game is over…_

_The Game is Over_

_NSYNC_

Sam's Point of View 

As it came onto the field, the dragon-type gave a roar that sent a chill of fear through the marrow of anyone near it. On the other side of the field, a Cubone, recently born, quaked as it realised that it was being made to fight a creature three times its size.

Giving a smirk, I levelled my eyes at the boy on the other end of the field; a Lad, judging from his costume design within the game. He gave me a cocky look back, obviously confident he was still going to win this.

Since gaining and training my new-found digital Pokemon, I had set fires in my path as I went along. Not literally of course, which I would have had fun doing, but nobody knew where this new trainer had come from, with his high-levelled monsters. "Ok, Salamence, let's sweep this field and get going. Fly!"

In front of me, the large Pokemon flapped its wings. Wind; generated by the program, blasted my hair and clothing backwards, but physically, I could feel nothing. The Cubone did nothing, simply looked straight ahead. A twinge in my stomach reminded me that this was not an actual battle; the Pokemon had no emotions, and no brains.

"Cubby! Bonemerang!"

Looking at the Lad, I mentally shook my head. Responding to its Trainer's commands, the Cubone let go of its prized bone, throwing it directly at Salamence. Salamence simply flew higher, out of range. Catching its bone easily, the Cubone continued staring at me, making me feeling uncomfortable. Shuffling sidewards out of its direct line of sight, I looked back up at Salamence, waiting for it to make its move. When it did, it moved quickly, flying down and slamming into the Cubone, throwing it backwards. Closing my eyes to a squint, I waited for the inevitable collision, but was instead rewarded with a view of the Cubone going through its suddenly pixellating Trainer. Opening my eyes, I raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on. Remaining squares for a few seconds, the boy suddenly disintegrated before me, his particles disappearing; his Cubone following suit.

"_Lad John has been disconnected. He forfeits the match. Victory goes to Cool Trainer Jamie. Jamie is awarded with one hundred and seven PokeDollars as a result of the forfeit._"

Shaking my head, I frowned with worry. More and more Trainers were doing this; suddenly disconnecting in the middle of battles. I had a suspicion that Rocket was warming up their Mind Control Program already, but there was only one way I could help these people.

The rest of Organisation Thirteen had disappeared a few hours ago; and all I was waiting for was a nearly deserted Absol Park. Once there was no-one around, I'd track down and destroy the program, which was apparently hidden within a huge statue of the Pokemon the park was named after; Absol, ironically, since Absol would usually appear to people _before_ a crisis took place.

"**Hey Sam, it's me.**" Jumping in place, I looked around, before realising it was a voice I knew.

"Hey Nick. Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"**Something like that. The others are out cold, and Ash went somewhere a while ago. You have an hour and a half left until midnight, just letting you know.**"

"It's only ten thirty? Wow, time seems to slow down when you aren't having fun. Everyone is disappearing from here as well, so I can't really occupy myself."

A sigh rolled down the lines. "**Yeah, I know. I saw that last battle, awesome graphics, but the Pokemon seem really, I dunno, lifeless.**" Nodding my head, which would appear as the screen bobbing up and down, I'd take a guess, on the television he was watching.

"I'm getting the same feeling. How's everything on your side?"

"**Artemis is starting to get worried. He doesn't show it that much, but he does care about you, a lot. This is probably the longest you two have ever been physically separate since the start of our journey, huh?**"

Giving a chuckle, I nodded again. "It feels weird without him around. He's kinda become my incredibly annoying, sarcastic and prank-pulling safety blanke- Nick?"

Through my head, an explosion seemed to tear through my ears. Giving a scream, I ducked down, covering my head with my hands, feeling the feel of the virtual reality helmet. Through the speakers, crackle and snapping sounded, but went down in volume.

"**Sam, this is Mikey. Hold tight, Rocket has discovered what's going on and they're attacking the palace. We won't be able to wait until midnight, so you need to move now. We're getting the others to a safe location, which should be here, but you need to start the self-destruct now.**"

I was physically shaking. Standing up slowly, I nodded. Grabbing my Pokéballs, I unleashed the full power of my team. Taking off at a dash, I motioned for my team to follow me, and follow me they did. Everyone got out of my way; an automatic reaction. It wasn't everyday you saw someone run around with enough might to destroy a town.

Pulling up close to the Absol Statue, I looked it up and down, looking for a weak spot. Its head looked the most vulnerable, since it was lying down.

"Ok team, destroy that statue."

"**Sam, it's Nick again. We're all here, and we're safe. Ash and the others have gone to defend us, but we need for you to act fast. We'll hold them off, but Mikey simply told us to back you up.**"

Giving a quick nod, I frowned at the tower. Swampert had lumbered up to it, drawing its fist back. Snapping it forward, it sped towards the virtual concrete, but stopped just short of the statue. Around Swampert's hand, strings of binary data began flying and moving around Swampert's body. Blinking in surprise, I watched as Swampert suddenly disappeared in an explosion of pixels.

"Oh no, guys, they're protecting the statue."

I heard someone swearing on the other end; I took a guess at Nick. Trying to think quickly, I came up with a blank.

"**Kat here, Sam, none of the scientists are in the room, we're stuck here with you. Mikey was the last one, but he went off to fight Rocket. Is there any way you can touch the statue?**"

Bending down, I picked up a pebble. Hefting it in my hand, I threw it at the barrier, watching as it too pixellated and disappeared. "No, nothing's going to get close to that thing. Gonna take a guess and say that Rocket upgraded their defences since the time of Pokemon Gold and Silver."

"**Out of the way Kat.**" Brendan said. Hearing a squeak of indignation, I grinned. "**Ok, Sam, firstly, you do realise that Pokemon Gold and Silver are only games, right?**"

"Duh."

"**Ok, anyway, I'm going to take a crack at this. I've done a bit of hacking in my day, mostly to get into my Dad's files and learn about Pokemon. He had some pretty tight security, made by the best in the business. If Rocket wants to fight dirty, I'm going to hand it right back to them.**"

"Go Bren."

"**I'll try this, and if I can't remove the barrier, I'm going to pump up your Pokemon.**"

"Ok, just try for whatever you can do. Kat, watch the door with all the Pokemon, at the slightest sign, get Dirden or Drogan to freeze or melt it shut."

Over the speakers, I heard Brendan relay the message. "**She said she will. What do you want Nick to do?**"

"Provide me with some shred of sanity. See if there's another speaker around."

"**You got it. Let's get this show on the road.**"

"Agreed."

Standing in front of the Absol statue, I looked around at my Pokemon. "Ok team; aim all special attacks at the barrier. Raichu, Thunder, Frezent, Blizzard, Infernape, Burn Blast, Leafeon, Solarbeam, and Articuno." Giving a pause, I thought for a moment. "Sheer Cold."

All at once, the team attacked. It was easy to tell you were in a game, when the attacks were perfect synchronised. Watching the attacks hit the barrier, I growled as they simply went through the barriers. It seemed special attacks were exempt from the rule.

"Brendan? The Barrier lets special attacks though."

"**Yeah, I saw that. I'm working on a way to make it stop destroying anything physically hitting it. Who knew those nights altering computer files on all my computer games could actually come in useful?**"

"**Ok you two, less talk, more work. What do you need Sam?"**

"Just help me with ideas Nick. Special attacks work, but not physical."

"**Um, this actually sounds familiar…It's there, ah, got it! Have you seen Pokemon 3: Spell of the Unown?"**

"Um, duh. My younger siblings love that movie."

"**Ash got into Molly's Fortress by jumping into the stream of Totodile's Water Gun, can you do that?"**

Looking back at my team of Pokemon, I raised my eyebrow. "Swampert got destroyed. None of these other ones have a special attack that can get through either."

"**Um, ok. I'll keep thinking.**"

"Think fast. We're running out of time."

Looking around, I frowned as I tried to figure out ways out of this situation. As a small head of fuzz rubbed itself under my palm, I jumped, before realising that it had to be Diana. Giving a gentle smile, I bent down and picked her up, cradling her close. Giving a small purr of contentment, she licked my hand once in encouragement, before jumping out of my arms to land on the floor nearby.

"Wait, Brendan, what if you don't move the barrier? How about, instead, you move that statue?"

"**Move it outside of the barrier?**" Silence reigned over on his end as he considered the possibilities. "**Yeah, that could actually work. Give me a few minutes.**"

"Ok, let's get this party started." I said, grinning. Watching in expectation, I frowned as the statue remained where it was.

"Brendan?"

"**I can't move it. It's too heavily protected by security programs. That's the hub of the program, destroy that, and it'll destroy it in all the systems. That's why it's so protected**."

Giving a groan, I shook my head. "Anyone else got any plans?"

More silence, before Nick cleared his throat. "**Stupid idea, I know, but is there any way you can turn all the Pokemon into special attacks? Just have them put under that category?**"

Giving a chuckle, I could mentally picture Brendan nodding. "**Yes, that's a great plan. And I've got the perfect attack to do it with. Who thought Substitute might come in useful, in a game?**"

Raising an eyebrow, I raised my hand. I had done some damage using Substitute on my Gameboy, been very fun, actually.

"**And that requires a few key strokes, here, there, and now we're set. Order one of your Pokemon to go through the barrier.**"

Looking at my party, I nodded. "Raichu, Headbutt." Dashing forward at a high speed, the Raichu met with the barrier. A painful, whining noise sounded out, as the barrier struggled with this new program, but eventually, the barrier yielded, letting the Raichu through. Giving a whoop of delight, I grinned at the rest of my party.

"Ok guys, go ahead and hit that statue with physical attacks!"

A tumbleweed wouldn't have been out of place at that point. Giving a sigh, I rolled my eyes. "Leafeon, Tackle. Articuno, Wing Attack. Frezent, Mega Punch, and Infernape, Close Combat."

They shot into action after that. Breaking through the barrier one by one, I bit my lip. "Hey, Bren, can you get me through the barrier in the same way?"

"**No, Trainer Stats are really protected. But I can make you an NPC, which should do the same thing.**"

"Are you sure of that?"

"**Um, say, Sam, ever heard of a coin flip?**"

"…. I hate you sometimes."

"**Love you too. Ok, go for it. Worst comes to worst, you just get pixellated and move around without a body."**

"**And no way to interact with the virtual world.**" Nick replied scathingly.

Reaching out my hand, it met with the barrier, passing through easily. Giving a satisfied smirk, I walked through the barrier, ending up at the base of the statue. The Pokemon were having the time of their lives; completely destroying it. Walking to the edge of the pedestal the statue was built on, I went to sit down, when I passed right through it.

"**That's why I didn't make your Pokemon NPCs. You can't be changed back, but you can still talk. But you can't interface with the physical environment now.**"

"Either way." I muttered. "Ok, let's see what we have here."

Analysing the statue, now rubble other than its four legs, I quirked my mouth. The program must be buried under it, which meant we still had a way to go. "Articuno, power up your Wing Attack to an Aerial Ace. Leafeon, stop Tackling and use Giga Impact. Raichu, use Brick Break. Frezent, go ahead with an Outrage, and Infernape, um… keep on going with the Close Combat."

Within seconds, the rest of the statue was gone. Smirking, I looked down into the deep hole under it, wondering how far down the program was. Picking up a small piece of the rubble, I dropped it into the hole, which instantly sent out a vivid, purple stream of energy, pixellating the rock. Rolling my eyes, I looked back at my party of virtual Pokemon.

"Ok, let's finish this. Raichu, Thunder. Frezent, Dragonbreath. Articuno, Blizzard. Leafeon, Solar Beam, and Infernape, Blast Burn that thing." I said, pointing at the ball.

The effect was instantaneous, as per the program. The attacks culminated into the one, multicoloured beam tat would be impossible outside of the game. Hitting the ball, it was absorbed, turning the ball an angry red.

"Ok, keep doing that for the next five minutes." I told my Pokemon, happy that the Rockets hadn't worked out this little glitch in the program; letting the Pokemon attack automatically. Reaching my real hands up to my head, I lifted the helmet off of my head, blinking in the extremely blinding, white light that was the gaming chamber.

Turning my head, I found Nick right next to me. Giving him a grin, I clapped his hand in a handshake, giving him a wink. "So, Team Rocket, huh? Let's show them just how weak Beginning Trainers can be."

Returning my grin, he nodded. "Bring it on."

Explosions sounded out throughout the palace. Walking up the hallway, filled with new confidence, and flanked by Brendan, Nick and Katrina, and further by all our Pokemon. Artemis, much happier now that he was with me, had slumped himself over my shoulder, his traditional spot.

Running up a hallway, a Rocket…'Grunt', since I had no idea of the ranks, spied all of us and our Pokemon. Grinning, he pulled a Pokéball off of his belt, and flew into the wall from a combination of water, fire, lightning and icy beams. Smirking, I pointed up the hallway to my left.

"Ok, Katrina, guard that corner. Brendan, stay here. Nick, go to the corner on the opposite side to this, and I'll take that one back up this corridor." I said. We were covering each of the corners, essentially protecting the room where the machines and PokeTrainer Online was. As long as we protected it, there was no way to stop the project.

"Ok, all Pokemon, we need you to line the corridors, between us humans. All Pokemon under Katrina, line up between Katrina and Nick. All Pokemon under Nick's command, between me and Nick. All of Brendan's Pokemon, between Katrina and Brendan, and everyone else, between me and Brendan."

"Oh, one time saving the world and he's a master tactician." Katrina muttered. Catching my eye, she grinned. "Here to take you down a peg or two."

"Or twelve." Brendan added helpfully.

Shaking my head, I walked along the corridor, taking up my position. The sounds of the battles were coming closer and closer, which was setting everyone off. Artemis was bubbling at the mouth, which made a funny picture as the bubbles made him look about twice his size. Diana's fur was puffed up, making her look larger as well, while Helios looked bored, Hera was currently playing tag with her tail, and Zeus was sparking everywhere.

The wall next to me exploded suddenly. Dodging out of the way, I looked back at the Pokemon behind me, making sure they were fine. My response was to lose my eyebrows as blue fire dashed by me, searing another 'Grunt' who had tried to attack me with his Arcanine. Following up on the Dragon Rage, Dirden blew a jet of chilled air at the Arcanine, who, in reply, gave a yelp at the sudden cold. Standing up, I moved my legs out of the way as Artemis rushed around the corner, his bubbles somehow remaining around him as he tucked himself into a ball. Water flooded out of his mouth as he executed his taught move, Flood Roll. Making a direct hit on the Arcanine, I grimaced as the 'Grunt' was also nailed by Artemis. Skidding to a stop, literally skidding, Artemis attempted to get back on his feet, with limited success.

Wincing in sympathy, I crouched down to make myself as small as possible as more attacks came past me. Dirden gave the final shot as he shot a crystal-blue Ice Beam, freezing both the Arcanine and the Grunt in place. Giving a sigh of relief, I straightened up and had to quickly jumped away as Artemis came sliding back, his wet body not suited for the polished tiles of the Elite Palace. Grinning as I watched him goof around, my attention was caught by the sound of more footsteps. Katrina had noticed as well, as she walked up the hallway she was guarding. Yelps and cries came from that general direction, but when none of Kat's Pokemon moved, I shrugged and went back to my guard duty.

It was then, blinking once, I seemed surrounded my darkness. Looking around, and seeing nothing but black, I took a nervous step backwards.

"Nick? Brendan? Artemis?" I called out, my voice echoing in the darkness.

Shuffling sounds poured out around me, making me turn and whirl in an effort to see where they were coming from. All at once, the darkness lifted, turning into the special place in my mind that I had been in after Ashlee had wiped my memory. The grass wasn't moving, the gentle wind I had put there myself seemed to refuse to blow. Gathering my mind, I tried forcing something to happen, but a cough made me spin rapidly on the spot, to see a woman sitting on the rock I had put there, one leg crossed over the other as she smile at me smugly.

The Leader of Team Flora was a very secretive person, no-one knew what he or she looked like. The leader of Team Fauna, on the other hand, was a very public person, often seeming to pose for nay cameras that were around. Diane was also a renown psychic, her work on Astral Projection had been groundbreaking. It seemed she had almost perfected it as well. Astral Projection into the mind of other people wasn't very common.

"Nicholas Stone. Brendan Birch, and Artemis who I believe would be your start Pokemon." She said, her voice sounding out across the plains that filled my mind.

"How do you know that?" I asked nervously.

"Ten Children chosen to become trainers in my own region; I have been keeping track of all of you. Beginners are notorious for putting their noses where they do not belong." Diane's voice hardened. "You, on the other hand, are the one to watch out of all of them. One of two with psychic powers, but the only one to have his powers ripped away. You're also the one with the most publicity; your antics on the Trainer Games, plus your selection to be the Champion of Light in the Twilight Battle have earned you more than your share of the spotlight."

Raising an eyebrow, I crossed my arms before me. "Your point? Is this a friendly chat, or is there some purpose to it?"

Arching her own eyebrow, Diana smirked at me. "This is just a warning, young trainer. I've learned that my rival in Team Flora has acquired an artefact of immense power. I cannot say exactly what it is, as we do not yet know exactly what it is. We have it narrowed down to a Seed of Chaos, or a Seed of Gaios."

Frowning, I shook my head. "And why are you telling me?"

Giving a shrug, Diana looked down. "You are very close to Ash Ketchum, currently, and you have no psychic protection. You were the easiest to pick and choose."

Giving a sigh, I scratched the back of my head. "Fine. Ok, whatever, Pick on my weak spots, why not?"

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Diane continued. "We at Team Fauna do not wish for Team Flora to use the Seed. Our only knowledge is that they have it. We do not know where, or how close they are to actually using it. But we are su-." Cutting herself off, she looked to the side, as if seeing something that I couldn't. Raising a hand, a blue shield appeared just as a blast of energy shot at Diana. Absorbing into the shield, the bolt disappeared. Looking directly into my eyes, Diane smirked once more, before fading out of sight, her eyes being the last to disappear.

Looking to where the bolt at come form, I squinted as I tried to make out who it was, if anyone was there. Seeing no-one, I settled back, waiting for something, anything to happen. Minutes passed, and it was only as I was starting to get bored that something actually happened. An outline of a person appeared, transparent at first, but slowly becoming more distinct. Landing on the ground shakily, Katrina looked up at me as she gathered her balance.

"Are you ok?"

Nodding I stood up. I had long ago sat on the rock Diane had been on, my patience wearing thin. Giving a relieved smile, Kat outstretched her hand, offering it to me. Grabbing it, I felt the pull of my body, sinking back into it. Taking an inhale, I opened my eyes, blinking. My head hurt, which must have happened after Diane had pulled me away into my mind. Reaching up, I felt a bump that felt more like the continent of Hoenn. Touching it gingerly, wincing as I did, I looked around, noting that only Kat was in the room. Sitting up, and stretching out my back, I looked at her curiously.

Seeming to return to her own body, Kat jerked her body, as if she was catching herself falling to sleep. Blinking as she got adjusted momentarily, she looked at me.

"How you use psychic powers frequently, I don't know." She said, grabbing onto her chair to steady herself.

"Practice." I muttered. "How'd we go?"

"We managed to beat the Rockets off. Once you passed out, Ash and Max came to us. They've let out a holographic version of you; or what you looked like in the game, to throw the Rockets off. They'll be getting us out of here later. How are you, anyway?"

"Had a nice little chat with the Team Fauna Leader. She dropped round for the old cup of tea, scones and warning of an impending emergency."

Rolling her eyes, Kat shook her head. "Yeah, whatever. Ash'll be here to talk soon, so rest up."

Glaring at her, I stood up, hoisting myself out of the bed. The bump on my head throbbed painfully, but I could deal with it. Stretching, and carefully avoiding the bump, I moved to the door. I'd had enough of sleep to last me for a while yet. Opening the door for Kat, I grinned as she swept by me, acting like a high-class diplomat. Ignoring her, I moved into the hallway and began walking after her.

We eventually got to a small conference room. Kat knocked on the door and without waiting for an answer, walked in. Knocking the door as I walked in, I saw Ash raising his eyebrow as he looked at Kat. At the table with him were the rest of the high-levelled people that had master-minded the counter strike against Team Rocket; Keira, Wyatt, Max, Ash, Professor Oak, and a young woman who looked like she was in her late twenties. With raven hair, and green eyes, it was easy to identify her. Sabrina, the most powerful psychic in the world.

Stopping at the door, I wondered whether I should even be here. When Ash beckoned me in, Kat had already made herself comfortable. Sighing, Ash waved at her, telling her to leave. Getting up huffily, she left the room, closing the door behind herself. Sliding into the seat she had vacated, I looked around at everyone, wide eyed.

"Ok, Sam, to bring you up to speed, Team Rocket shut the game down. Obviously there are complaints, but they don't really care. Team Rocket has withdrawn, however, and from what our sources are saying, won't be coming out for a while. They made enough money off of the game to have made this all worthwhile, for them anyway." Ash said, looking at me. Shrinking in my seat as everyone looked at me, I wanted to turn invisible at that moment.

"_Relax. We aren't going to bite you._" Blinking, I looked around. When my eyes came to focus on Sabrina, she gave me a smile. Sitting a little taller, I leaned on the table.

"Ok, great. That means I'm done, right? I can get back to what I was doing?"

Looking at me for a moment, Ash slowly nodded. "I guess. We're sending out decoys, in case Team Rocket wants revenge against you, but you should be fine. We'll get you out of her in about an hour. But, until then, we need to go through this. And there's also the case of giving you your reward."

"Reward?"


End file.
